Don’t Let Me Get Away With Mediocrity

(This is written from the employee’s perspective. A 1st-person narrative about leadership, accountability, and the power of high expectations.)

There will be times when you expect A, B, and C from me…and I will deliberately do A…and part of B. Notice the word deliberately. You see, I have mastered the art of lowering other people’s expectations. Why? Because I don’t want you to expect to much from me.

I’ve never had anyone in my life consistently expect anything good from me, so I’ve learned to just get by with doing the bare minimum, and the bare minimum has usually been accepted. I know how to pout and roll my eyes and sigh heavily and come late and have poor posture and do aaaaallll of the little things that will discourage you from investing in me.

After all, I’m not worthy to be invested in. I never have. (At least that’s what I’ve been told all of my life.)

Plus, let’s be honest. My paycheck for doing A, B and C will not be any different from when I do A and part of B.

Now, of course I CAN do A, B, C and even D! But I choose not to because I don’t have to. You don’t expect it.

Even though it doesn’t serve me, I will tell you EXACTLY what happens when you allow me to ACT LIKE I HAVE NO SENSE.

• You clearly send the message that excellence doesn’t matter. Yes, my apathy is the enemy of excellence, but you have way more influence than I do, so your tolerance of my mediocrity carries more weight.

• You demotivate your motivated people. Your best people start wondering why they should continue putting forth their best, if low performance is readily accepted.

• You affirm my own low perception of myself. “I’m not worthy of being coached or corrected.

• You negatively affect the overall morale of the team because when your most motivated people become demotivated, everyone can see it and will be impacted by it.

• Your own credibility as a leader is shot because me and the rest of the team KNOW that you don’t stand for your standards. Basically, you’re a wishy washy leader. (And noone wants to follow a wishy washy leader.)

Now, you’re probably wondering if I’m just a lost cause. And I don’t blame you for thinking that.

(Sigh) I’m not a lost cause. I just don’t know what it feels like to have someone believe in me…and challenge me…and have high expectations of me. You are literally the first person in my life that’s ever done any of those things. Ever. And it’s kinda scary.

I mean, if I do A, B and C, you might (gasp) expect me to do them ALL of the time. But maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Maybe I might LIKE doing things well.

Maybe I might enjoy the feeling of operating on a higher level.

Maybe I might appreciate my newly built reputation of being a high performer.

Maybe that reputation might lead to better opportunities, both professionally and personally.

Hmmm. Maybe.

Now, I know you didn’t ask for my advice on how to lead me, but here goes:

• Confidently and Clearly say what you expect. And mean it.

• Repeat your expectation everyday. Yes, everyday. Especially when you’re tired. Especially when I look apathetic. (Spoiler alert: my apathetic look is designed to wear you down…and it’s always worked.)

• Model the expectation for me to see. Otherwise your expectation is just theory. A nice idea that you don’t even follow yourself.

• Recognize when I live up to the expectation (or even make moves towards it). Celebrate whatever you want to see more of.

• And here’s the biggest one: Refuse to tolerate anything other than the standard being met. Basically, hold me accountable. Call me out.

Care enough about me to challenge me. And challenge me because you care about me. They go together.

Deep down, I know that I can be better than I’ve shown. I guess that I just need the right catalyst to unlock it.

Will it be you?

Believe in me, and I will believe in you. Who knows how the trajectory of my life might change as a result.

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