Mediocrity

I had written another post about stress and didn't like what it was becoming, so I deleted it. Truth be known, it was mediocre and I couldn't stand the way it bounced around without a real theme and didn't really say anything. You, dear reader, deserve better than that. 

We often push out mediocre work because it is just easier to do. We go to work and just do the minimum needing to be done to get through the day, allowing us to collect a paycheck and come back to keep producing the minimum. We don't take pride in what we do and greatness isn't expected. As long as we show up to work on time (which is a whole other issue) and are present more than we are absent, many of us are considered good employees. What does this say about our society?

This mentality starts in school and continues on into the workforce. We aren't ever expected to be great, so very few of us ever do anything great. We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and we spend most of our time dwelling in mediocrity. Those who produce great work often do it in spite of their environment or what is expected of them. They are the outliers and instead of looking to them for guidance on how to be better, we label them as anomalies. 

What if we went to work each day and actually tried to produce the best things we could? How would the world be different if we strive to produce the best products, offer the best customer service and dream of things better than before? Where would we be if we just held everyone (and everyone held themselves) to higher standards? Imagine a world where labels like overachiever had positive connotations, instead of negative ones. How about one where quality mattered more than quantity? 

What do we have to do to produce our best work on a daily basis? How much better would life be if we were energized to show up to work instead of counting the hours until it ended? The change has to start in each and every one of us. We have to find passion in what we do, even if it is just the passion of doing the best work possible. Mediocrity should no longer be acceptable. Once we change our mentality, we can start changing the environment at work.

Stop settling and instead start creating something great. Hold yourself to a higher standard than you are being held to. Come to work and produce the best products and offer the best service you can. Just produce exceptional work every chance you get. Be an anomaly and do more than is expected. Encourage everyone around you to do the same. The world doesn't need more mediocrity. The world needs greatness. 

Difficult Conversations

In this age of technological innovation, I think most of us have forgotten how to and fear having difficult conversations. We can see this in our professional and personal lives. We resort to text messages and e-mails when we should be having face to face or phone conversations. We find it easier to get everything down in writing because an actual conversation is much harder to do when emotions are involved. This is a prime example of doing something because it is easier, not because it is better.

For many of us, when we think about having a difficult conversation, our stomach drops and our imagination runs wild. We picture the worst happening during the conversation and our fear holds us back from doing what is right. Instead of talking to the person responsible, we may shoot off an e-mail or bitch and moan to a friend or co-worker about what we think is right and what the other person did that is wrong. We don't have the entire story because we are too afraid to discuss it with the other person (or people) involved.

This is a terrible way to treat any relationship. We let things fester and continue to bother us to the point where we can't control our emotions about the situation. We convince ourselves that we are right and work to get other people to think we are too. In most cases, we could have solved the issue with the person involved, but instead have built up so much emotional baggage we can no longer see any other side to the story besides our own. This can cause schisms in teams and will ruin relationships.

A difficult conversation will involve emotions, but the only way to effectively have them is by keeping these emotions in check. We can talk about how something made us feel, but we need to do this from neutral footing. Going on the attack is not helpful and will only make the other person become defensive and more entrenched in their view. Most of the time, there really isn't a "right" or "wrong" solution...there are many shades of gray. We may not have liked what happened, but not liking something doesn't automatically make it wrong.

In any situation we find upsetting, we always assume the other person had the same information we did and chose a different path. While this may be true, often it is not. We owe it to the other person to find out why they did what they did before we jump to judgment. By having a conversation instead of firing off an e-mail, we can get the whole story before making a decision. Being constantly frustrated by others is no way to go through life. Just dealing with it is also no way to go through life. If we constantly ignore the issues instead of speaking to people about them, we allow the frustration to build up until we burst. Yes, many times we need to deal with the fallout from the things that happened, but before becoming frustrated, we owe it to ourselves and other people to get all the facts.

We can't do this via e-mail, at least not easily. Pick up the phone, schedule a meeting, do anything to have the difficult conversation. It won't be easy, but once you start having these conversations instead of letting technology muddle the issue, you will find it becomes easier and easier to have them. Don't let your imagination run rampant and stop feeling as if people are doing things just to spite you. By giving the other person a chance, both can walk away from the conversation with a different perspective and usually a better understanding. It won't always work, but by having the conversation, you have done the best you can do.

As I have found through most of my life, the easiest way to do something is rarely the best.

Frustration

I woke up this morning frustrated with the world. I was frustrated with the attitudes of people I know. I was frustrated by seemingly unreachable goals. I was frustrated with work and even thinking about it was making me even more frustrated. I was frustrated with the day and I had only been awake for ten minutes.

So, I sat down to write out my frustrations and see if I could work through some of the thoughts. Slowly, I began to realize all the frustration I was feeling and directing at outside influences was actually frustration with myself. This frustration was caused by expectations I have placed on my own work, expectations I didn't feel I was living up to.

We all have goals and dreams, but we also place other markers on ourselves without knowing we are doing it. Holding ourselves to a much higher standard than others do, we have a hard time, if not an impossible time, meeting these expectations. We expect perfection and we will never be able get there.

In some people, this can be a driving force for good, but in most of us, this leads to the morning I had. When you aren't living up to the expectations you have secretly placed on yourself, you lash out in frustration at the people around you. You convince yourself they aren't trying hard enough or doing a good enough job or getting things done as quickly as you would like. In reality, you aren't doing a good enough job, trying hard enough or getting things done as quickly as you would like, at least in your own mind.

Cut yourself a little slack. You are never going to be perfect. Train your mind to expect your best work, nothing more, nothing less. Realize when your outward frustration is really based on your inward feelings. This frustration isn't good for you and it isn't good for the people unfortunately caught in the fire. They don't deserve your wrath and you don't deserve it either.

Ignore the Voice

Getting things done is to be applauded.
Getting things done well is even better.
Getting things done and putting forth your best work is what we all should strive to do.

Doing your best work each and every day is difficult. To really do this, you must believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is the easiest way to quiet the voice of fear we all have. You know the one that whispers you can't do something or tries to convince you that you are in over your head or you are not good enough to get the job done. We all hear this voice from time to time, some of us more than others.

Don't let this voice stop you from putting forth your best work. The more you listen to this voice or give it any credit, the louder and louder it speaks. DO NOT LISTEN.

Wake up every day knowing you are going to put your best foot forward. Go through the day striving to do your best work. Put in the time and energy your best demands. Speak up. Take some chances. The more you do this, the quieter and quieter the voice gets. It never goes away completely, but you can train yourself to ignore it and do what needs to be done. It's not going to be easy, but learning to ignore the voice will change the way you live your life. You have something (probably many somethings) to offer, don't let the voice hold you back.

Business As We Know It

With so many advancements in technology, why are so many companies sticking to outdated business models?

With wireless, laptops, smart phones and tablets, we can work from anywhere. We no longer need to be present in a cubicle to get the work done. In fact, for many of us, getting out of the cubicle allows us to do more and better work. Why are companies stuck in the mindset that people need to be physically present to do the work?

In most companies, if you hire someone to do a full-time job and they are able to complete all the tasks in 30 hours a week, the employee is rewarded by getting more tasks added to their plate (tasks usually coming from someone who is not able to get their work done). Is this fair? If the employee wants more to do, then great. This is a win-win for everyone. There are a lot of people who will see this and then slow down on the work they do so they aren't given more and more. This doesn't benefit anyone.

We can talk about culture agreements and making the work environment fun and giving staff more privileges and the need for people to think and make decisions, but until we start treating employees as adults, none of it really matters. As employees, we are often stuck in the mindset that we come in at 9:00 and leave at 5:00 and other than those hours, we are free to do what we want. Yes, we may have some deadlines to meet and yes, we may work at other hours, but we have to be present between the hours of 9:00-5:00.

How would it change if people were actually allowed to figure out how to get everything done on their own time and in their own way? How much more could we accomplish and how many more ideas would come from staff who are fully engaged and enjoying their work (instead of just working for the weekend)? How much money would the company save if they weren't constantly tracking the hours and PTO of every employee in (or outside of) the building. How much more work would be accomplished if someone could work from home when they had a sick child or wanted to work from the beach on a long weekend?

We are stuck in a business model that may have worked 20 or 30 years ago, but isn't it time we started embracing a new way to do things? Sticking with something because it is the way it has always been done is a way to get left behind. I hear many people say they want to have a company where people are engaged, having fun and love their job. What happens if we started treating them like adults and stop running things with a factory mindset? Many companies continue to lose the best and the brightest because they don't fit in to the 9-5 crowd. They know they do their best work at night or early in the morning. Instead of being able to do their best work for the company, they start their own or find a place to go that will treat them like an individual and an adult.

The way we do business is going to change. Either you can help push the change, get the best and the brightest, make a difference and set the standard in your industry or you can continue to fall behind. It's your choice.