How many times have you ever been frustrated with the people you work with because "they just don't get it"? You know what needs to be done but forces seem to act against you from actually accomplishing that which will make your company more successful. I've dealt with this often in my career, it is very clear to me what needs to be improved in order to help our business. Here is where it gets really frustrating, everyone agrees with me that is what we need to do. So why can't we improve things?
Seth Godin had a great post about the forces of mediocrity that described the dynamic in organizations where great ideas are met with endless resistance of all types. One part is encouraging to me that helps put the business world into perspective for me:
If it were any other way, it would be easy. And if it were any other way, everyone would do it and your work would ultimately be devalued. The yin and yang are clear: without people pushing against your quest to do something worth talking about, it's unlikely it would be worth the journey. Persist.
It really isn't easy, no matter what your job or industry you work in. Competition always gets smarter and everything moves faster than before. I suppose that is why they call it work, there is effort involved to make the changes needed in your work place.
So the next time you get frustrated with the state of mediocrity in your organization, don't complain and throw up your hands in defeat. Find another angle. Call a meeting with your biggest detractors and understand what their issues are. Overcome them, prove why their issues aren't real or what the reward is to taking a risk. That is what I'm going to do.
