The fate of many once great businesses is written when average becomes acceptable. This sees a culture shift, when employees surrender a competitive edge, stop innovating, or have no buy-in with the big picture.
This change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like a single weed multiplying and spreading in a field. Those inside the business will probably be the last to notice the shift.
Is your department, division, or company falling into mediocrity and seeing performance going down? Consider if any of these scenarios are familiar:
Average Becomes Acceptable with Excuses
How do people approach a problem or a disappointing outcome? Are they frustrated by the situation and are struggling to figure out how to make sure it never happens again? Or are they pulling out an excuse, the moment something goes wrong.
In any business, there will be disappointments. But when people’s first instinct is to break out a bowl full of excuses, then you’re slipping into average. Average businesses are full of people who are skilled at defecting blame or responsibility.
It’s important to evaluate the excuses you hear to see if they have merit or are just a convenient way to explain away a poor performance.
For instance, bad weather can hurt sales. But the concept of bad weather is not new. What’s being done to prepare for it and lessen its impact on the bottom line? That kind of thinking can produce a competitive edge.
No Initiative
How quickly are people letting go of things that aren’t working and replacing them with new ideas? You may want to outlaw the phrase, “That’s the way we’re always done it,” as it’s an easy excuse for mediocrity.
Maybe people need to know that you want them to investigate new ideas. You may have led them down a road to passive behavior, if you don’t ask for change.
And are you recognizing and rewarding better ways to do things? Become innovative in your recognition of innovation.
No Big Goal or Communicated Goal
Too many businesses keep their goals a secret. While certain details may need to stay confidential, is there a big picture you can share?
This could be as simple as saying, “We believe with several strategies we can significantly grow our marketshare in the next five years.” You’re not giving away the secret sauce but you’re sharing an exciting vision.
Do you think people want to work for a company that has a focus or one that appears directionless?
The Tough Truth
An organization that has fallen to average is more likely to slip further down, rather than become excellent overnight. And the longer an average becomes acceptable mindset is part of your company culture, the more time it will take for a turnaround.
Ken Okel’s Keynote Talks Improve Your Performance
