Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Game time adjustments #6

Is your staff living in the world of the mediocre?

Fact: 

Last week in the blog, I spoke of the “land of the OK.”  I went on to describe this mythical place, perhaps more easily known as the land of the mediocre.  But there is really nothing mythical about it.  It exists right in front of you.  It is in your school or organization whether you want to see it or not.

I had to laugh when I found the weekly image I used to accompany this article.  I saw myself as the principal, as Gulliver being attacked by everyone else.  Although their slings and arrows did not wound me, I saw first hand the passion that my attackers had about protecting their land.   As I would push towards excellence, many would push back for the status quo.  Unlike in Gulliver’s Travels, these people were not Lilliputians, the were my “Mediocreites.”  Although their constant slings and arrows did not hurt me at the time, over the long haul, their slings and arrows wear you out.  And if you cannot change group of people, yes, bring them on your journey to excellence, in all likelihood you will have to go find another adventure whether it is your decision or not. Or perhaps your other choice might just be to start to accept mediocrity along with them.  And if you sell out excellence for mediocrity, shame on you!

You see, I found schools that live and thrive on what I will call this contract of mediocrity.  Although one never officially signs this contract, it surely exists.  Take a look at how it works.  And remember, this is from the principal’s perspective.

• Teacher /student—The teacher agrees to pass everyone, regardless of their work and effort as long as they keep quiet, stay in their seats, behave adequately when a substitute is there and perhaps most importantly, whenever an administrator comes into the room, look and act like good students.
• Teacher /principal—The principal agrees to give everyone a satisfactory rating as long as the teacher can keep the kids in his or her room, never write a behavioral referral and keep angry parents away from his or her desk.
• Principal / Superintendent- The Superintendent agrees to give all of the principals a good rating as long as he or she can keep the school quiet and out of the newspaper, keep angry parents away form the Board of Education meetings and turn in all of the mundane paperwork requests on time.

When everyone does his or her part within this contract, the school and district will run like a well-oiled machine.  It runs well, but never gets better.  One can spend a career trying to make it better and yet never attain what one would consider excellence.

The Land of the Mediocre is like that football coach who consistently goes 6-5, 5-5, or 4-5.  He or she is happy being .500.  You know, you win some and lose some.  But you never are able to get that championship.  And sadly, you do not care.

For me, I want to be 11-0.  I want to wear that championship ring.  Is it my ego?  Perhaps.  But for me, I want excellence.  It is like that Vince Lombardi quote, and I paraphrase, we all want perfection and we know that we cannot get there, yet only hope that along the way we can catch excellence.

 I am all in on that journey to perfection.