What's Wrong with Being Average?
What is wrong with average? Doesn't it show that a person is meeting the collective expectation? Maybe. Maybe not. As a child and young adult, my aspiration never included being average. My parents always considered me to be above average. I began to think the same. I excelled in my almost anything I attempted. My instinct was to avoid the rank of "average." It carried a negative connotation such as average height, intelligence, ability or, heaven forbid, being "average looking." Why then did I consider it an affirmation to rank an employee in the middle of the pack? As it turns out, my experience is not unique. Many supervisors have fallen into the same trap. Place everyone in the middle while identifying a couple of shooting stars and a few falling stars. It can be a way to avoid confrontation or because we have become conditioned to look at annual evaluations only as a positive event for all involved parties. The result is a monochromatic landscape of mediocrity or experiencing the halo, Wobegone or illusory superiority effect where everyone is considered to be slightly above average. Nice— but not typically reality. To change the outcome, we must first change the language. Consider the term "Meets Expectation" as a new middle category for evaluation. This connotes a level of expectation has been communicated. It doesn't have to be a minimum level and can be tailored by position and even by person as needed. Once a person meets expectation, you can establish whether or not a new expectation level is warranted. The revised level then becomes the new normal and begins to raise the game. To build a learning organization, we should believe strongly and ensure that employees have the skill, resources and motivation to accept and meet new challenges. A strong evaluation system will help achieve that goal. What's wrong with average? Nothing! As long as your average is your competition's awesome. Reevaluat, recalibrate and reap the reward of establishing a culture of excellence. --Article from The Facilitator |
As a supervisor, I used to dread giving employee evaluations. It started with staring at yet another blank form. Going through each performance category, I would carefully mark my choice of below average, average or above average. When done, I would then go back through to make sure the report was balanced. Too many low marks and the employee might be upset. Too many high and there was nowhere to aspire. What was the answer? Rank the employee right in the middle... the sweet spot. Not hanging back, not showing off. The solution was average.
