Maintain High Standards

If Your Team Was Just Like You,

Would You Be Proud of Their Efforts?

Lou Holtz demanded a lot from his football players. He also demanded a lot from himself as their leader. “I won’t accept anything less than the best a player’s capable of doing. . .” he said. “And he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team!”

Here are a few high standards I encourage every leader to employ, expect, and exhibit.

Outlaw apathy. It’s not just what we do but the spirit with which we do things that matters. Leaders who grudgingly walk through the day – although compliant and competent – will struggle to endear the respect of their team. Be willing to activate a positive, passionate leadership example or be ready for less than spectacular results from your followers.

I have a very low tolerance for apathy. Team members should be able to depend on us to portray a continual picture of what the environment should look like, feel like, and be like. It’s not just “what” we do. The “manner” in which we do it has the greatest impact. Grudging compliance and a vibrant “Yes, I Can” attitude are miles apart. Leave no doubt which path you’re traveling.

Be willing to say: “I was wrong, I’m sorry.” In his book with Ken Blanchard, “Everyone’s a Coach,” Don Shula tells of losing his temper near an open microphone during a televised game with the Los Angeles Rams. Millions of viewers were surprised and shocked by Shulas’s explicit profanity. Letters soon arrived from all over the country, voicing the disappointment of many who had respected the coach for his integrity.

Shula could have played the “excusiology” card, but he didn’t. No excuses. Everyone who included a return address received a personal apology. He finished each letter by saying, “I value your respect and will do my best to earn it again.”

Leaders make mistakes. They fail. No big deal. Set the example. Make no excuses. Own the mess. Apologize to the team. Learn from the failure, correct it, and move on.

Ignite the Fire. There’s an old Texas saying, “You can’t light a fire with a wet match.” How’s your enthusiasm, passion quotient? Is there a fire in your belly? Danny Cox believes, “The important thing to remember is that if you don’t have that inspired enthusiasm that is contagious, whatever you do have is also contagious.”

Passion-driven leaders make things happen by inspiring others with their energy and commitment - passion. They create a culture where people love coming to work, look forward to the next opportunity, and are willing to invest their mind and heart in making the organization a great place to be. This is a highly contagious spirit every leader should strive to nurture in herself and others. The leader’s enthusiasm will inevitably spill over and magnetize followers.

Jim Collins author of “Good to Great” said: “You can't manufacture passion or ‘motivate’ people to feel passionate. You can only discover what ignites your passion and the passions of those around you.”Be the spark plug. Ignite the fire in you and others will follow. At least get the pilot light going.

The leader must be willing to radiate positive energy and expectations whether things are going great or times are tough. It just goes with the territory.

Set high expectations. I will do whatever it takes to help someone be successful except one thing – lower the standards. “We expect our leaders to be better than we are,” declared Paul Harvey, “or why are we following them.” We expect a lot from team members, and they have every right to expect a lot from leadership.

In her autobiography, “And So It Goes,” Linda Ellerbee, then anchor of “NBC News Overnight,” wrote about a letter she once received from a little girl. It said: “Dear Miss Ellerbee, When I grow up, I want to do exactly what you do. Please do it better.”

Dear Leader. If your team was just like you, would you be proud of their efforts?

Fight complacency like a plague. If you worked for you, would you be inspired by your standards? I find the higher the expectations I have for myself the easier it is to encourage others to raise the bar for their results. “Make your personal standard of performance – your behavior in all areas, so exemplary that those under your supervision will find it hard to match, harder to surpass,” stated John Wooden.

When you stand strong for a continually higher standard, without waffling or wavering, the message will soon be clear.

Highly effective leaders promote and display unusually high standards.

Questions to Ponder:

What standards would my team say are important to me? How have I modeled those behaviors for my team?