A Mediocre Performance

I loved my time at Secondary School, I found Physics and Chemistry particularly fascinating. This amazing world of science would stretch my mind in ways I loved and hated all at the same time. Last week, I happened to come across my school report. To say I was shocked was an understatement, as I read the words ‘a mediocre performance’. Although I went on to qualify as a Pharmacist, and have a successful career in what I do, if you were reading my report, you would have been amazed if this individual was capable of becoming anything in life. The judgement of others can at times become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thankfully I was deluded enough with my love for the subjects, that I clearly didn’t take much heed of the feedback I was given about what the teachers thought of my abilities.

How often do we brand people as incapable at work? I’ve met so many people who were thought of as ‘mediocre’ who went on to be utterly brilliant in the organisations they subsequently joined. Was it them holding themselves back for the right organisation? I don’t think so. In a world where talent matters more than ever, we need to become much better at spotting talent and nurturing it, so we can benefit from the latent skills within our teams.

I can’t help feeling how wrong my teachers were about me, and more importantly, about my passion for the subjects. As leaders, we all have huge responsibilities to be fair and just to the people we judge and assess, whether it’s through a regular 1-2-1 meeting, or during appraisals. Challenge yourself to find the passion in each team member, you might be surprised by what you discover…