It fosters a culture of mediocrity and lower standards

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Introduction

I have written articles in the past saying that it is ok to fail and I still believe that. However, repeating the same mistakes without learning or improvement, yet being rewarded, is problematic. Let me give you an example, when I was in High School, they rewarded students for coming first, second and third no matter what Grade you obtained. I failed physics but I got a certificate for getting first place in physics. I was praised, congratulated and rewarded but at the same time I did not pass physics and so a culture of mediocrity was created. Lacking motivation to learn, I received a U on my physics GCE.

Stop rewarding habitual failures.

If we really were to take stock of what is going on around us not only in Turks and Caicos but throughout the world, I honestly believe we would conclude that we are rewarding failures. Because of this, we are in the position we are in. We have accepted the low standards and mediocrity as a norm in our societies.

We are promoting underperforming employees. They are not completing their work, consistently arriving late, and failing to meet their deadlines. Despite these issues, they continue to receive promotions and are evaluated above expectations. We also give them a salary increase not based on performance but based on their tenure.

Some schools continue to reward students for positions. Some schools have discontinued placing positions on report cards and now focus on achieving grades rather than positions.

We also reward our politicians. We elect and re-elect politicians based on party politics without holding them accountable.

Set high standards and hold people accountable.

If we want to create a culture of excellence and high performance, we need to establish high standards. Of course, it will be a challenge at times to meet those standards, and some people will fail in the process of trying to do so and it is fine if they fail. We should not reward individuals for falling below standards; adhering to standards is imperative. However, if individuals improve their performance, we should encourage them and provide the necessary tools, training and resources that are needed so that they can meet or exceed the standards.

Individuals and organizations should be measured against established standards and milestones.  When someone knows that their performance is tied to something, I believe it will push them to pursue excellence.

Conclusion

Rewarding failure undermines growth and integrity. It is time we refrain from making excuses for individuals and organizations. How long must we wait to see a change? It is important to foster a culture of accountability and excellence by ceasing to reward failures. Reward individuals who grow and succeed. In doing so, we will create a high results driven society, better teams and better institutions.