I wrote about the “good enough for government work” attitude here. I never want to live in a city that strives to be no worse than anywhere else. I’m betting that you don’t, either.
Mediocre Leaders
Joseph Grenny, writing in the Harvard Business Review, says: “(Executives) have no moral authority to ask other managers to hold people accountable if you’re not doing so yourself…Unfortunately, if you’re hoping for a silver bullet to address a mediocre performer, I have little to offer. Chronic mediocrity is a symptom of ineffective leadership, not anemic personnel.”
Local elected officials, in order to have any degree of credibility, AND, in order to affect real change in an organization, must do the following:
- Hold themselves accountable and to the highest reasonable standard;
- Hold their employees accountable and to that same standard
That’s really all there is to it. But how often do we see the opposite? Elected officials who use their office to see how much they can get away with. Who use their office and their position as a dating and escort service. We witness those who are afraid to set standards for the city or school board employees they now supervise, because one or more are “indispensable.” Or who, having been elected, feel the job is done, and are rarely seen or heard from until the next election.
These, and more, are examples of Mediocre Leaders practicing Cowardly Leadership. “Leading” (with full realization that is a misnomer in this instance) out of fear. Wondering what will people think, and what if that indispensable employee really does leave! Oh My God-we’re doomed! What then???
Mediocrity is Repairable
Leaders who really want to make a difference and improve a mediocre organization can do so. The fixes are easy to diagnose, not so easy to implement and make stick. They are:
- Set performance standards for their employees with deadlines for implementation. In military language, shape up or ship out. I am a huge proponent of management by objectives, MBO for short, which is simply setting objectives for employees then holding them accountable for them.
- Create a list of personal objectives and accomplishments with timelines. You were elected, therefore you have the authority and power. You can’t be fired! So go do what you said you were going to do! Create a strategic plan.
- Set easily measurable goals, then publish them. Publicly. In the newspaper. In the employee newsletter. Everyone is accountable and everyone should know what the stakes are.
- Encourage peer to peer accountability and responsibility. Weak teams have no accountable, mediocre teams have accountable to the boss. Only strong and capable teams have peer led accountable. We’ve all read stories about successful sports teams that quote the manager or coach who said he didn’t have to do much coaching, they took responsibility for themselves. The best college football teams have strong captains who do the work in the locker room so the coaches don’t have to.
- Once poor performers are identified, give them a chance to improve. If they do, you are ahead. But if they don’t, they need to leave. And if you don’t follow through, you are no better than the mom who says, over and over in the grocery store, “If you don’t stop that you’re going to get spanked…I mean it this time…I’m going to count to five…”
The results are that the citizens see improved results, tax money is spent more efficiently, and you as an elected official are seen as a Leader who is following through on what you said you would do. Otherwise, you are seen as cowardly, and mediocre.
It’s your choice.
