High Standards

 

Over the last several years the economic climate has forced us to reflect upon ourselves and correlate our performance with that of our organization's expectations and standards. Many employees often feel overwhelmed with added responsibilities and increased workloads as companies strive to remain competitive under the imposition of "lean" operating parameters.

It is extremely important that we pay attention to how we set expectations for performance; individually and company-wide. Are the expectations realistic and achievable? Are the standards set high enough to challenge or are they just "low hanging fruit"? Do they intersect with the philosophy and mission of the organization? If teams believe in themselves and are motivated by challenge (at the individual level and as a group) they are often very successful setting the bar high and maintaining a level of high performance to achieve a specific goal. Of course, there is a fine line between setting high standards and creating unrealistic and unachievable expectations; setting up for failure right out of the gate can be detrimental to organization/team success.

Organizationally, management needs to define company-recognized excellence and remain vigilant in embracing the standard(s) it sets for performance. Publicize what is an acceptable level of performance and hold fast to that - periodically reminding employees that it is "acceptable level" only. Companies also need to embrace a program of recognition for excellence.

According to Terry Levine (Moving Ahead), "You will feel better about yourself if you set high standards and stand by them. It is not the action of setting the bar high and constructing challenging goals that motivates some individuals; the satisfaction lies in the pursuit of achieving the goals within the context of the high standards that were established.

As I drill deeper into individual contribution and its relationship to the goal or standard of meeting the company's acceptable level of performance, I have found that there is little honor among high performers to meet expectations set by others. Exceeding them is where true satisfaction is derived". The following excerpt is from the Coachville Knowledge Center - it's spot on!

"Set rigorous standards for yourself. The words, "for yourself" are critical here. So many people set their standards in relation to others or their work environment. If they perceive their employer to be fair, they set high standards. If, on the other hand, they see their employer as penurious, greedy, or mean, they allow their own standards to slip on the grounds that the employer 'doesn't deserve any better from me.' If you've fallen into that trap, recognize that you're only hurting yourself. To do less than your best ultimately means that your 'best' will deteriorate until you won't be able to tell the difference between mediocrity and excellence. The 'content' of your standards depends on you."

The constant drive for continuous improvement is a common theme within any high performing team and/or individual; it is the high standards that they aspire to and it is what they measure themselves against. Excellence is a frame of mind!

Below I have included a few "notable quotables" for you to ponder.