Mediocracy is not an option - but reality

She routinely pulls the life vest over her head without touching the messy bun, swings the waist strap around her hips, and clicks the buckle together, tightening the strap. Her eyes stare forward as if she wasn't present, and I wonder if it is because of the medical mask. It's not, though, because I see hanging shoulders and assume a heavy load on her mind. Her movements are robotic, and I take back what I said when I saw her get ready for the safety instructions. (Nope, in-person safety instructions are not fun.) And yes, the recording from Lufthansa was much better than the mediocre show I observed on a local flight. It’s a struggling industry to be working in, so it's ok to have a bad day. But is it really?

Observing reality

The lady is doing a mediocre job and looks bored, so I feel bad for her. As a customer, I'm sitting on that paid seat, and instead of enjoying the safety instructions or the following three hours, I feel her load. I don't dare to ask for water (I get it myself from the back), and when she passes by, I look at her and give her a big smile (I constantly drink and eat to pull the mask down every 15 minutes for 15 minutes). I'm sure she didn't see me, which is fine. But is it really?

Dealing with reality

Suppose you read until here, great! You might sympathize with the airline crew member; you might empathize with her because you had a tough day just yesterday; you might even start thinking about why she displays that mediocre behavior. That's fair, and I love that we are in a non-judgmental space. But are we really?

Because frankly, I will ensure that I don't fly with that airline again (easy, it’s neither Emirates nor Lufthansa), not because she had a bad day, but because she made me feel bad. Why would I book a ticket to feel bad when I can get pampered at Emirates? (Gosh, I miss flying out from Dubai and the fantastic podcasts.)

Yes, understanding others is great, giving them another chance as well, but in my opinion, doing a good job also matters. This was not my only flight lately and not the only time I observed mediocre service, attention, or work delivery. To make sure: I stopped thinking about the flight attendant and am thinking of work: the meeting room that wasn't tidy, requiring my client to clean up in front of his external guest, the pitch deck in front of me with jumping titles like it's Kriss Kross singing, and the typos on the brochure of that company which offers services, that I won’t buy.

When did we settle for mediocracy?

Excusing reality?fosters mediocracy

Please don't explain that Covid was hard or that the pandemic changed everything, so we all need to be kind to one another. Yes, please be kind and kindly do your job while at it.

Yes, be kind to the people around you because stopping mediocracy is not about putting pressure on people, burning them out, or stressing everyone around us.

It is about doing a good job because unless you do a good job,

• your team won't do a good job,
• your department won't do a good job,
• your business unit won't do a good job, and
• your company will be forced to put you out of a job.

Ultimately. Hopefully. Otherwise, the company pays the price for the mediocre level of employees and fails because customers will choose their competitors. Statista published an analysis of the worst-rated customer service in the US in 2020 with between 35 – 44 % negative responses*. I have dealt with three of these companies myself and chose different providers since I expect a different level of commitment. (I don’t want a red carpet, champagne, and free backpacks – I simply want to be treated like someone who is not a nuisance.) Unfortunately, this impact will take time because mediocracy is not a single-case scenario, and once the effect is felt, it will be too late. So, I say that mediocracy is not an option if you care for your organization and appreciate that it pays your bills, sustains your life, and supports you – as good as it can. (And if what they offer you as an employee is mediocre, that is not a reason to join their mediocracy but rather leave the organization.)

Mediocracy is not an option

Full disclosure, that statement is from a friend whom I asked a long time ago how he makes sure that his work stays top-notch, and he said that: "Melissa, mediocracy is not an option for me because I cannot live with that." N-Man, that stuck with me! We don't live in a world of N-Mans, though. We could, though, because it is straightforward: Do your work, add 'a touch' of a smile, 'a grain' of passion, and 'a notch' of fun, and MIX IT WELL until it combines to your superpower against mediocracy. It goes with any industry or company size and impacts the people you work for or with and yourself. And the best is this: it will feel so much easier.

Take my bank in the US, which I won’t name, and I left after being with them for eight years because they were inflexible, unreliable, and old-school. Take my new bank, TD Bank, which has just branched out to the US from Canada and understands that service goes a long way. Giselle, the teller manager, was sitting next to the colleague we talked to and saw bored kids, so she started engaging with them. As a result, I remembered her, and when I called the bank for a question a week later, I thanked her again for the attention she paid to our kids. (I literally heard her smile to my compliment.) Furthermore, she went out of her way when answering my question, and I thought: wow, TD Bank, your service level is a pleasure. I dare to say that she was happy as well because I told her how glad I was with her service, and when she hung up, her voice sounded as if she had a big smile on her face. Two of us were happy, and one of us did a fantastic job leaving the other feeling like the most content customer in a while.

Aiming for excellence

Jep, it sounds tough to aim for excellence but only if we force that in ourselves. If excellence or at least the thought of “Mediocracy is not an option” becomes your aim and you find a way to have fun, it is easy.

Think about it like this: if what you do has an impact on your organization, what stops you from:

• re-reading that brochure acknowledging that it reflects how careful the service will be delivered,
• fixing the titles and putting Kriss Kross back in the 90s, or
• cleaning up after yourself so that a colleague doesn't get embarrassed in front of the external visitor watching as he cleans the table.

Why do I write this: I want to trigger mindset changes about things you can do, step out of the reality I call mediocracy, and redefine what good looks like. Admittedly I do that a grain too much, but it's simply because I cannot help it; doing a good job matters to me - a lot. How about you?

* ? Companies with worst customer service U.S. 2020 | Statista