Do Not Accept Mediocrity in Yourself… Or in Others
I was leading a release planning meeting. These were never that fun. They lasted a whole day, and It was hard to keep the team engaged. As a Product Manager, it was my job to make sure that by the end of the meeting, we had a plan that everyone on the team could commit to, given the information at hand.
This particular meeting I had to start off with a request to the team. “Could you please not sleep during this meeting?” This was not a joke. Last release planning meeting, which I think was the first with my team, had people sleeping in it, and others drawing doodles on the whiteboard. I needed my team to commit to actually being present at this one.
As usual, the team started to get bored and things degenerated quickly from there. The final straw was when team members started leaving because there was a work happy hour that they did not want to miss. The team did not report directly to me, so there was little I could do to stop them. Besides, I needed a drink just as bad at this point.
This incident was one of many that chipped away at me at my last job, eventually leading to me leaving and deciding to pursue something on my own. This was not a standalone incident, and it was not just a reflection of my team. The whole company seemed to be ok with mediocrity. We actually used to joke about it was really hard to get fired for incompetence at this company. One could literally go sprint after sprint without delivering anything, sleep at their desk during office hours, and “work from home” — which meant do whatever one wanted, as long as they were able to get to a computer some time during the day and pretend they were working. And this was not some company on its last legs where employees were just waiting for the lights to be shut off. This was one of the top tech companies in the world.
Working at a company that tolerates mediocrity has some upsides, but it is largely a draining experience, especially if you hold yourself and those around you to some standard of competence.
On the upside, work can generally be carefree, people are having fun, and a lot of people enjoy where they work because of the relaxed atmosphere. As an individual contributor, you are lulled by the ability to play pool whenever you want, or drink in the office. It’s fun working like this. Until you need to rely on someone…
When you find yourself needing to count on your coworkers to deliver something they have committed to — which is even tougher as a PM, where my success was tied to these deliveries — you realize that this happy-go-lucky culture has its drawbacks. This eats away at you, and the company, in many ways. I was uninspired by the company and by most of the people I worked with. There are always good people and hard workers, but what made it so tough was that eventually those great people saw the workplace for what it was and eventually left to work somewhere that was more challenging and rewarding.
By contrast, a friend of mine works at a place where every quarter, they announce people that will no longer be working there. One would think that this would lead to a culture of fear, where everyone is looking over their shoulder in fear of being the next on the chopping block, but when I heard about this, I yearned to work at such a place.
See, for those of us that do hold themselves to a high standard and are always looking to improve ourselves, these types of places are inspiring. You work alongside awesome people, many of which are better than you and which you can learn and grow from. You also feel a sense of validation when the company appreciates you, since you know it’s real. Best of all, you know you can generally count on your coworkers to be there and deliver on their promises. Sure, there are always bad apples, but in this type of environment, they tend to be found and removed, instead of being allowed to fester and infect the whole bunch.
If you find yourself in a company like this one, relish it. It will give you an opportunity to become a better person. It will keep pushing you to hold yourself to a higher standard. It will remove any semblance of mediocrity which you previously tolerated in yourself. And if you do find yourself on the chopping block, think of it as a gift. There is always something to learn, and what better way to learn it than to have those kinds of stakes. Chances are, you will know what to work on, and make sure this does not happen at your next job… Or, you can find an “easy” company to work for that does not have any standards where you can just float by… but that’s not you, is it?
Cultivating a high standard of performance for yourself will pay dividends throughout your life, and your should be working on this right now if you are not already. I find a few habits useful to help here.
First, you must hold yourself accountable. When you promise to deliver something by a certain date (even if it’s just an internal promise to yourself), then do it. If you find yourself consistently not able to deliver, then revisit how you are estimating the amount of time and work a project will entail. Over time, you will get better at knowing what you can and can’t do in a given amount of time.
But don’t let that mean that you can just under-promise and skate by. The second habit you need to cultivate is to constantly be pushing yourself further. Like a shark, if you are not moving forward, you are dying. Always be better than your last self. Don’t compare yourself to others — since different people are in different phases of their journeys and have different skill sets — but always compare yourself to who you were last week, last month, last year.
The third habit is a good way to ensure you are always growing. Have weekly check ins with yourself. I like to set a few goals for each week. At the beginning of the week, I will assess how I did against these goals. If I missed them, I will determine the causes and figure out how to improve this week. Then I will set my goals for the current week. Each time you set these goals, remember the second habit, and try to push yourself a little bit further than before.
Lastly, be open about your flaws, and where you need to improve on. Nothing bothers me more than working with someone who pretends they know something they don’t or hide the fact that they are not good at something. Be honest with those around you about where you need help and what you can improve on. Let others also be there to hold you accountable. You will first earn their respect, and second, you will not be able to cover up for yourself. An external point of accountability is a huge factor in successful growth.
But holding yourself to a high standard is not enough. You must hold others to the same standards as yourself, and be swift in removing those people from your life that do not meet those standards — or, if you can’t remove them entirely, make sure to limit your interactions with them. As with yourself, there are a few habits you can develop to make sure you are holding others accountable.
First, be open with others when they are not meeting your standards. This does not mean you have to be rude to them, but just let them know that you expect a certain level of performance from yourself, and thus you expect it from those around you. If they fall below this level, let them know, and offer guidance on how they can improve. Sometimes they have no idea that they were not performing and letting them know is the kick in the ass that they need.
Second, be an example. You cannot hold others to a standard that you do not be able to meet yourself. So be better than what you expect in others. Be the person others can look to for guidance and inspiration, and if needed, be a mentor to them. You will inspire them to greatness.
Lastly, as I mentioned before, sometimes people are who they are and they have no interest in getting better. Remove these people from your life. A common saying is that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Do not surround yourself with people that are holding you back. These people will drain the life out of you and it will start to reflect in your own character, and in the level of performance you are putting out in the world. Surround yourself with people you aspire to be like, people you can learn and grow from, and you will be inspired to reach their levels of greatness.
