Standards

The topic of standards keeps coming up for many of the students who I’m working with this week in a course called Leading Challenging Conversations offered by eCornell, Cornell University's executive education division. As leaders, they see that a standard isn't being met, and they are using this course to prepare for a conversation that will yield a productive outcome. 

Most anyone can see when a standard isn’t being met. That’s pretty easy. 

What’s not easy is being willing to do something about it, and I find myself admiring the students who are. Many of these students are having honest conversations with teammates and co-workers when those standards aren’t being met. That’s the hard part.

It’s easy to frame the standards conversation as a dialog between two people. There’s also an important shadow audience to consider. It’s the rest of the team who know the standard isn’t being met, and they’re watching how the leader will respond. Will they uphold the standard, or will they avoid the problem and hope it will go away?

We become what we accept. Here’s to all those who choose to uphold a standard this week.