Normalizing Mediocrity

In my career, I’ve been in boardrooms where senior leaders have acted like cannibals; all trying to verbally kill each other with bravado and antidotal accusation.  I’ve also been a part of high functioning teams where the leadership is genuinely supporting each other; challenging each other to get better, but with candor and respect.  The former seem to be proud of the silo they have built where it is easier to throw stones and deflect attention to their own deficiencies.  They each spew the parlance of our business times, that we need to ‘break down the silos’…while they have a brick and mortar in their hands…nothing to see here.  It is also an effort to point out the reason they are failing is because of the failures of their internal supplier.  If that effort was harnessed for good and as much energy was put into understanding what support each need from the other to be successful, there would be no need for these shenanigans.  It’s a show, an act, a calculated and rehearsed speech born of incompetence and the normalization of mediocrity.

When a high functioning team challenges each other, they speak in terms of us. We must look in the mirror and get to the root of why our culture isn’t where we want it to be.  We need to understand why we have quality and throughput issues; what’s currently happening – what should be happening – and how do we get there?  Organizations, leaders, must understand the value of a collaboration that is focused on what is best for the business and not what each senior member wants from their own agenda (I will not refer to these characters as ‘leaders’).  Those who simply want to regurgitate nomenclature from a book or article, like they did in college, to stay off the radar and live for another day are on borrowed time…and so is their organization.  Speed to change and adapt to gain or maintain competitive advantage requires a monumental effort; one that cannot be accomplished with infighting and acceptance of mediocrity. 

This is exactly why sports teams made up with players out for their themselves rarely win a championship.  Though stacked with capability on paper, they cannot get out of their own way, they cannot extend a hand to help be a collective unit engaged in a shared purpose to accomplish the mission.  Underdog teams with less individual accolades believe in each other, the vision, and demonstrate values of true leadership.  They know if they each focus on what they are really good at and become a team of teams they will achieve great things.  Alabama head football coach, Nick Saban, once gave a speech to his players in training camp.  He said, “One day you are going to be working in an organization and they will be doing what we are doing here: getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus.  So, which one of those people do you want to be?  Do you want to be somebody they’re trying to get off the bus because you’re satisfied with mediocre performance?  Because you can never have any team chemistry in your organization if everybody’s not committed to the same standard.  You are a high achiever by the choices you make every day; in your sport, [at work], in the community, and at home”.  

I use the team of teams reference because not only is the book a great read (authored by General Stanley McChrystal), it’s messaging clearly identifies what type of culture permeates high achieving organizations.  The leadership has a shared purpose that drives to the mission and vision.  That cultural standard, if cascaded down throughout the whole organization down to the folks on the frontline, will have people pulling in the same direction.  They will hold themselves and each other accountable to a higher standard.  When people in leadership positions complain about the culture of their organization, and question why people are not more engaged, they need to look in the mirror.  The question isn’t, why are there bad behaviors on the shop floor, the question should be, why doesn’t the shop floor want to want to get better?  If you have accepted and normalized mediocrity at the top, then you already have the answer.  You don’t need a survey to tell you that.  Look around the boardroom and ask yourself, who are the right people in the right seats on this bus and who should be off?