A Common Management Temptation: Settling For Mediocrity
A Common Management Temptation: Settling For Mediocrity https://csuiteold.c-suitenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/a-common-management-temptation-settling-for-mediocrity.jpg 960 641 C-Suite Network https://csuiteold.c-suitenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/a-common-management-temptation-settling-for-mediocrity.jpg
One of the most common but problematic temptations of management is the tendency to settle for mediocrity.
This long-held belief was recently reaffirmed for me when I read one of Harvard Business Review’s (excellent) daily management tips, “When Your Team’s Performance Is Mediocre, Address It Immediately.” Its key point:
“What do you do when someone’s work is OK but not great? The toughest test of a manager isn’t dealing with poor performance — it’s addressing mediocrity. Don’t let lackluster performance fester. Start by showing how mediocrity negatively affects your team, the organization, and its customers.”
Yes indeed, fully agree. From a management standpoint, mediocre performance is insidious. It’s subtle, but it’s also anathema to building a high-performing organization.
Why is tolerating mediocrity a common management shortcoming? Three key reasons:
It’s easy. It’s the path of least resistance. It’s all too easy for a busy manager to look the other way when an employee’s work is tolerable but far from great. Work of middling quality is not a disaster but neither is it excellent. It…
