The Impact of Mediocrity: How Playing for the Middle Drags Everyone Down

Episode 85: The Impact of Mediocrity: How Playing for the Middle Drags Everyone Down

In this episode, Holly Hibbard - Executive Leadership Coach & Corporate Relationship Consultant - shares with you...

• how mediocrity infiltrates organizations and personal growth, negatively impacting productivity and team morale, and why it's essential to take a stand against it. (The Dangers of Mediocrity)
• effective methods to reward and recognize excellence within your team, fostering a culture that inspires high performance and accountability. (Actionable Strategies for Excellence)
• insights into establishing high standards in every aspect of your life, from professional to personal, and how surrounding yourself with inspiring influences can drive your journey toward excellence. (Personal Growth and High Standards)

If you like what you've read so far, I’d love it if you’d SUBSCRIBE to the show, and TURN ON your notifications so you don’t miss a future episode.

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Transcript

Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to the Holly Hibbard Show.
I am your host, Holly Hibbard, and I am so grateful for you being here today.
If you are an avid listener of the show, FYI, I'm recording this episode while sitting in my car.
So I want you to know that if the audio sounds a little different than what it normally does, do not panic, do not be alarmed.
It's simply my setting for today.
And if you're new to the show, I promise my audio is typically much better.
But I am committed to giving you all a couple episodes of the podcast a week.
And as I said in previous episodes, we are in the process of moving.
We bought our new home, and we just sold our current home.
So I need to work from my car for a couple of hours while our current home is being utilized for other things.
So, anyhow, please bear with me in this.
And with that, let's talk about mediocrity.
Funny.
Right?
I'm always talking about leadership and high achievement and how to set goals and strive for more, whatever that level of more means for you, whatever those goals are for your life is defined by you.
But truth be told, this episode today is inspired by an episode of, Diary of a CEO, which is a podcast, with Steven Bartlett, very, very popular, over 9,000,000 subscribers on YouTube.
And Steven was interviewing in this particular episode none other than Jimmy Donaldson, AKA mister beast.
So if you are a person who loves YouTube like me, you know who mister Beast is.
You probably have watched Jimmy's show or his content or listened to his podcast.
And listen, at the end of the day, I just think there's so much goodness in that episode, but I'm highlighting mediocrity of all things.
Here is why.
Because in this episode, Steven is talking to Jimmy and asking him about the kinds of people that he hires.
So for those of you that do not know, Jimmy Donaldson is textbook definition of a billionaire.
He has at least a billion dollars in assets between his production company, his chocolate company, the his monetary income from YouTube and advertisements and all of those things.
But at the end of the day, Jimmy learned everything from the get go all on his own, and that includes the kinds of people that he should surround himself with.
And so being such a high achiever, someone who sets very, let's call them initially to most people, unrealistic goals, and then goes ahead and gets them done and breaks all these barriers of what people think are possible including himself, it's pretty extraordinary what, Jimmy Donaldson has accomplished.
And he prides himself in this extraordinary over the top work ethic even though he knows it's probably not the best for his body, even though he's only 26.
But he says that when he's hiring people, he's looking for people who bring that same level of work ethic, who are willing to put in the hours, who are willing to think outside the box, who are willing to consider what are the things that have not yet been done on this earth or in these arenas, in the arena of production, in the arena of YouTube, in the arena of a chocolate, like, philanthropic company, by the way.
And he hires people who are at that.
And then Steven asked him, well, what are the sorts of people that you don't wanna hire?
And Jimmy said mediocre.
He said mediocre is the worst possible type of person to have in any of these organizations, whether it's a business that he built from the ground up or one that he has invested in.
And he was saying that it's because people who are, mediocre are playing to the middle.
And he also highlights that I'm sure you've heard that the phrase that you are the sum of the five people that you spend the most time with.
And I have always found that to be true as well.
Whereas, there can be an outlier here and there of one or two or three people who don't fit the mold.
But the focus of the topic the focus of focus of the episode today is that the there is an impact that mediocrity has on your life, also on your organization or your business.
And that is because when people are playing for the middle, everyone is being dragged down.
So it's not only about what the leader or the manager or the business owner, or the employer are doing.
If they are playing for the middle, we could say, well, that's just shoddy leadership.
Right?
And of course, that's not going to motivate or inspire anybody to be better, to improve, to get better.
But I wanted to look at this this, perspective about mediocrity when it comes to your family, your relationships, the way that you parent, the kind of friend that you are.
Are you when you play for the middle, when you are aiming for the middle of the road result, are you unconsciously probably dragging other people down around you?
So, yes.
We become like the people we surround ourselves with, but what happens when we're surrounded by people who settle for that's good enough.
Instead of striving for greatness.
And greatness doesn't have to look like mister beast greatness outside the box all the time, exceptional, innovative.
Greatness simply can be what are your goals as you've defined them and are you giving it your best?
Your version of your best.
And are you honestly saying whether it is your best or not?
So again, we're gonna explore how mediocrity, while not outright failing at something, can still cripple your team's success.
It can slow down productivity and it can lower morale.
And I'm sure I don't need to tell you that when morale in an organization is low, that does not help recruitment and that does not support retention either.
So if you are listening to this and you're thinking about how you can make your organization, your business, your leadership style more productive, more effective, more efficient, and also boost morale and enhance the product that you put out into the world.
Time to look at mediocrity and and who's surrounding you.
So as I said before, mediocrity isn't failure.
Mediocrity is saying, yeah, that's fine.
That's fine.
And that is why mediocrity is dangerous.
Also, let me just get out of the way right now and say that I am so not above this concept.
So as I'm talking with you about mediocrity, please know that there are I am a human being, and there are so many things in my life and so many times in my life that I have thought, that's fine.
Okay?
So I am I am not the exception here.
I am in this boat with you.
Maybe you're the exception and you don't have anything you've ever been mediocre at.
So settling for an average effort, settling for an average result can lead to an uninspired team and also an unmotivated culture.
So there's a hidden cost when we bring people into our team and also when we closely surround ourself with people who play for the middle because it's going to drown everybody's efforts.
So mediocrity, it will spread in teams.
Whether you think that, well, they're just fine.
They're in the middle.
They're doing what they need to do.
You know?
Not above and be not above not even above and beyond, just not above.
Right?
They're just cutting it, and there are things that we can do as a leader to prevent this seepage from happening.
Mediocrity, I would even dare to say, is more dangerous than failure.
Okay?
Failure, when you fail at something, that demands a response.
Failure demands a response.
It forces you to take an action.
It forces you to learn something.
It forces your growth because something did not pan out the way you took that loss.
Something didn't pan out the way that you wanted to.
So there will be an action or you'll learn something and you'll have some personal and or professional growth on the other side of failure.
But mediocrity playing for that middle, it flies under the radar.
It's very subtle.
It's calling something good enough, but never calling something great.
Or maybe someone has accomplished something great once or twice, and because of that, they can then be mediocre the rest of the time and nobody might notice because they're still riding the tails of that accolade that they received just that one one time or two times.
So as an example, a team member, they might consistently deliver work that meets the expectations.
Okay?
But they never exceed those expectations.
And because you have that team member who never exceeds the expectation, And even today in today's culture, not only are they not exceeding the expectations, they're likely also not they're also likely telling people, I'm not going above and beyond.
I'm not doing more than what I have to.
And over time, this seeps into the culture of your organization because the entire team will stop striving for excellence because they'll think why bother.
If that person is receiving the same benefits that I am, monetary benefits, insurance benefits, you know, perks of the job, etcetera, by being mediocre, then that doesn't encourage those around that person to strive for excellence in any way.
So mediocrity is contagious.
One person doing the bare minimum gives everyone else permission to also do the bare minimum, and the team is going to adjust to the lowest common denominator.
So if there's, right, one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch, it's similar to that concept.
So you can have a team of total superstars.
And then let's say someone exits the corporation and a new person comes in and that new person is surrounded by winners.
Okay?
The new person is likely going to rise to the occasion because they are outnumbered by those who are striving to perform well.
They're going to adjust to the higher denominators.
Everybody around them is that.
But if you have one person who is mediocre and then another one who is just above mediocre and then another one who is below standard, one that is really high, it will all average out to that lowest common denominator.
It does drag everybody down.
And as a leader or as a manager or as a business owner, it can be really easy to get sucked into this thought of, well, I guess that's just the way the industry is.
I guess that's just the way the industry is where people don't wanna work.
They don't wanna try.
They don't wanna put forth effort, they're lazy, they don't work as hard as they used to, they just do the bare minimum.
All those stories can start in your mind because one person is subconsciously leading the way to mediocrity.
So there are hidden costs of mediocrity within a team.
One of those costs is you lose innovation because people are only doing what they have to do.
No one's thinking outside the box.
No one is going into other realms of possibility, and creativity dies off.
Because people who are working out of mediocrity, they just do the known thing and only the known thing.
Because anything outside of what is known and what is easy, that path of least resistance, that requires more energy.
And folks who are okay with mediocrity are not gonna strive to be innovative.
Another hidden cost of mediocrity on your team is obviously there's well, I say obviously, but I say it's a hidden one too.
Decreased productivity.
And this is the decrease in productivity that you might not see straight away.
This has been labeled quiet quitting.
And while people who are striving for mediocrity or just fine or this is okay at their job, they might not be quiet quitting, but they definitely could be sliding under the radar and coast.
They might be coasting.
So what happens when you have people who are coasting the midline, what this does as a consequence is your high performers then have to pick up the slack, which then causes them to burn out.
So now you're losing productivity from your highest performers because they have to cover for the mediocre folks.
Or the high performers, they either burn out and stop trying as much or they don't even go to that realm to pick up the slack because they're like, I can't do any more than what I'm already doing.
And they simply lower their effort to match the mediocre persons that they work alongside.
Another hidden cost of mediocrity on your team is there is cultural damage, organizational cultural damage.
The teams just stop pushing boundaries.
They stop, again, thinking outside the box.
They stop thinking about what can make your organization or your idea or your product stand out just a little bit more.
And the cultural, take on this is everyone starts to think of, let's just do what's just enough and stop there.
So here's an example of the bare minimum mentality.
So let's see if somebody on your sales team who is always hitting their quota, but exactly.
They're never exceeding their quota.
Or let's say you have a manager on your team who never innovates.
They just take the ideas that have worked before and been efficient and been effective, and they just choose to maintain it.
And another example of the bare minimum mentality is if you have a company where it's fine becomes the standard response to feedback.
Oh, well, that person over there, they were twenty four hours late in sending that email, but it's fine.
Or this person over here, they didn't do the full punch on the walk through as a project manager as they're getting things done.
But it's fine.
It causes problems.
A bare minimum mentality causes problems.
So what do we do about it?
How do we raise the standard and also combat this mediocrity whether you see it or not?
Because remember, I want you to assume that you do have folks in your organization who are coasting.
And they might be doing this consciously and a lot might be doing this subconsciously.
So the first thing you can do is reward and recognize their effort and also excellence.
So create a culture in your company where people don't just do enough, but they strive for better.
Now do they even know what better would look like?
I don't know.
That means that if they know what better looks like, it's because you are teaching them, you are training them, you are bringing people in to show them new ways, new products, new methods for your industry.
But as a leader, if you are not introducing them to new mechanisms that they can strive toward, then you're not helping that culture, that mentality where people just wanna do what's just enough.
So reward the effort, present opportunities to learn and grow, recognize their effort, and absolutely when somebody shows excellence, having integrity, following through, doing a great job, going above and beyond, honor them for that.
Say something at minimum.
Say say something.
Send an email.
Give them a phone call.
Shoot them a text, but do something to acknowledge it.
The second thing that you can do to raise the standard that you have but combat mediocrity at the same time is remove the comfort of good enough.
Now you as a leader, you should challenge your team by asking them what's the next level for you and see what they have to say.
It might be really easy for you to define in your mind what you think the next level for them should look like, but that's your version of the next level.
Ask them what they think.
They typically will come up with something, and it might be what you thought and it might not be.
And, additionally, don't be surprised if they say, you know, I'm not really sure.
Because some folks, they might have the impression that where they are at in the organization is as far as they can go, or they just never had the time.
They're so caught up in the actions of day to day that they they never had the time to consider what the next level is for them, let alone have somebody actually ask them.
So if you see somebody who seems stagnant in a constructive way, okay, like they're still getting stuff done, but they're not really getting anywhere new, that is mediocrity that could be thriving in silence.
Okay?
So remove the comfort of being good enough, when it comes to your organization and the product and what you're putting out there.
The other way to raise the standard to and combat mediocrity is surround yourself with high standards.
If you are the most driven person in the circle, you need a new circle.
I've always said, I much enjoy being the dumbest person in the room because it allows me to see new possibilities of what I can accomplish and what I can get done.
And I oftentimes can see in other people where they used to be where I am at, and it's very motivating.
And I I recognize when, as a leader, because I've been in multiple circles and I have climbed the ranks per se, there have been many times where I'm at the top of the food chain and I I for me personally, I get a little bored.
I need to I need to find some place to go and be the dumbest person in the room or the most ignorant person rather.
And so if this is you and you need a new circle because you're the most driven person in the circle, find people who inspire you and who push you to grow beyond the average.
And if you are in a place where you don't have the resources for this, time or energy or namely money, or you don't have control of the resources that get spent on this or put toward this, remember to surround yourself with people who inspired you and push you, they don't need to be people that you know personally.
There's these things called books.
There's these things called podcasts or videos.
You can learn about anything in this world free of charge and feel inspired and motivated and ready to push and think outside the box.
The question is, are you exposing yourself to those resources?
Or are you saying and using it as an excuse, and I gotta stay here because I don't have access to that kind of stuff?
And lastly, to raise your standard and combat the mediocrity, teach the teams that you work with to take pride in their work.
People are gonna rise to the expectations that are set for them.
So set high expectations, but here is the key.
Make sure those expectations are achievable and help the team to see the connection between their effort and the impact that they can make.
So if you set these expectations and they're not achievable or the team doesn't believe they're achievable, you're already climbing uphill.
If you can set an expectation, but then you don't tell them the expectation, that's shady also.
You don't wanna do that.
So you wanna share with your team the possibility of what you see, achievable standards, and help them, again, see that connection between the effort they put in and the impact on the other side of it.
That it isn't just about what they're going to earn, what they're going to make, but that they're really truly making a difference somewhere by what they do.
So here's your actionable challenge related to combating this mediocrity.
I want you this week or between now and whenever you want, Identify one area where you've accepted mediocrity.
So you've accepted mediocrity, let's say, in yourself or for your team or your workplace.
Identify one area of your life where you said, yeah.
That's okay.
That's good enough.
That's fine.
After you identify that one area of your life, ask yourself what would excellence look like in this particular area.
Maybe it has to do with your health.
Maybe it has to do with the amount of sleep that you get.
Maybe it has to do with how many sales you make in a given time frame.
But ask yourself, where are you saying, oh, this is okay, and what would excellence look like instead?
To push to that level, then surround yourself with at least one, just one high performance influence this week.
Remember, this could be a mentor.
This could be a colleague.
This could be a peer.
It also could be a book, an audiobook.
Keep it simple because you don't have to be perfect, but I believe that you should always be striving to improve and become a bit better than you were today.
And keep pushing that limit because those little tiny steps toward excellence and away from mediocrity are better for you, better for your personal life, better for your team, better for business.
And I think it's better in terms of you knowing the worth and the value that you have as well and truly living an exceptional life and not anything close to a mediocre life.
That's all I have for you in this episode today.
Thank you so much for listening.
I would love to hear from you in the comments about the area that you've chosen.
What is one area of your life where you know you've accepted mediocrity?
Drop me a comment below, and thank you again for tuning in and for subscribing to the show, especially if you are on YouTube.
And until next time, I will talk to you next time.