4

Below Average

a twelve-by-twelve-inch sliding metal panel was situated at eye level in the only door of the small, poorly lit basement room where Excellence had been held in captivity for several months. Sitting quietly, she calmly turned toward the door as the panel began to slide open. Excellence stood up. As usual, she was taken aback by the face staring at her from the other side of the opening. There was an uncanny resemblance between Excellence and this figure. Over time, however, Excellence had begun to recognize that what had at first appeared to be subtle differences had become glaring differences. Unfortunately, she was sure that others might not be able to easily tell the difference between the two of them.

With a wry smile, the figure said, “Good morning, Excellence.”

“Good morning, Average,” Excellence replied in a pleasant tone that belied her situation.

Over the past months, Excellence had learned much about Average’s history from these visits. In an earlier life, Average had been a makeup artist. He began his career behind the scenes of a theater company, and over the years, he became an expert in his field. He had, in fact, become obsessed with Excellence in his art, but with economic changes in the industry, he found himself a victim of downsizing and was replaced by less experienced artists. Outraged, he changed his name to Average and committed the rest of his life to keeping Excellence out of any company he could.

“Gorman-Scott Inc. has become comfortable with me,” Average said slyly to Excellence, who maintained her calm demeanor and did not respond. “You’ve been my captive here for some time now, and they didn’t even know you were gone until they received a ransom note for your return. They’ve been accepting me for you, and I plan to keep it that way. And my team and I will do everything in our power to make sure that I, Average, am firmly entrenched at this organization.”

“They will figure it out,” Excellence replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Will they now?” Average retorted. “Well, let me tell you what I think. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I have experience with thousands of companies. Here’s how it works. At some point in the company’s life cycle, Leadership gets focused on you, Excellence, and adopts a silly mantra, such as ‘Excellence in All We Do.’ A lot of excitement is generated. They have meetings, campaigns, posters, surveys, and contests. The list goes on and on. They assemble a team to support Excellence like they did at Gorman-Scott Inc. But eventually reality sets in.” Average straightened his collar with pride and said, “That’s when my team shows up. We help the company to understand its place in the world; it is just good enough at what it does to get by. Its customers should be grateful that the products and services are available to them.”

“So, you lie to them,” Excellence stated, never changing her expression.

“Oh, no, no, no!” Average exclaimed. “Such an exaggerated overstatement. ‘Average’ does not imply that the customer does not have a place in the process, but we help give the companies—how shall I say it?—ah, perspective. Yes, that’s it. We help give them perspective.”

“And that perspective is?”

“Employees work hard enough as it is. They have enough to do without spending so much time and energy on you—Excellence. Customers have no understanding of all the hard work happening behind the scenes to deliver a great product or service. The employees become happy with me. And before you know it,” Average continued proudly, “I, Average, have replaced you, Excellence.”

“You can put lipstick on a pig,” Excellence said, smiling, “but it is still a pig.”

Average sighed heavily and stroked his chin. He said, “Look, Excellence. You and I are not all that different. I think that we could be friends. It is not that I—”

“We are nothing alike,” Excellence interrupted.

Average was intrigued. He sensed that Excellence was angry, yet she never lost her smile, nor did her tone show any evidence of anger.

“We are nothing alike,” Excellence said again. “Our standards are different, and our perspectives on what a company should be and do are not even close. You see the employee as a pawn in a business chess game, a pawn that can be moved around and perhaps even sacrificed to meet the needs of the leaders. You see employees as people to be manipulated, as individuals who don’t care about one other and have no desire to strive to be their best. And you see a customer as someone to be taken advantage of. I, on the other hand, believe that employees want to be their best, to be more like me, Excellence. Also, I see the customer as the reason we are in business and the focus of all we do, not only as some unfortunately necessary part. And the measure of how well we are meeting everyone’s wants, needs, and desires is the deciding factor in whether Gorman-Scott Inc. is creating great customer experiences.” Excellence paused and then said, “Friends, you say. What a joke. We will never be friends! Have you ever heard author Jim Collins’s phrase, ‘Good is the enemy of great’?”

Before Average could reply, Excellence stated emphatically, “Average is the enemy of being your best.”

“Have it your way,” Average sneered. “But let me leave you with this thought. You’ve been locked away in this basement for months in this basement under the very company where you once thrived. Has anyone sent out a rescue team? No! And while you waste away down here, my team and I are walking the floors over your head.” Average burst out laughing and said, “You think you’re so high and mighty, but I am actually above you. So, in reality, Excellence is below Average. Get it? Below Average!”

Excellence turned her back on Average, as the familiar metallic sound of the panel closing told her the conversation was over—for now. Excellence smiled, and the smile slowly widened because she knew that Average had not taken time to understand who she really was and that he was operating under false assumptions.

“He defines me as being above the fiftieth percentile,” Excellence said to herself. “That’s his first mistake. I am not defined by a comparison with my colleagues, peers, or friends. I am defined by a comparison of my current status with my potential, my best! Do I have standards and expectations related to my employment? Yes, I do! Do I have roles and responsibilities to fulfill in my family life? Certainly! But those are the minimum requirements to keep my job and my relationships. My best—now, that comes from inside and is not always measurable in others’ eyes. But I know when I’ve given it, and I know when I have given just enough to stay under the radar.

“Average’s second mistake is underestimating my ability to bounce back. Everyone has a bad day at work or at home now and again. I am no exception, but I don’t let those days define me. My Passion, Competency, Flexibility, Communication, and Ownership are … well, they are mine. These are who make up my team. They define me. Their qualities are inside me, and to use them positively is my choice day by day, minute by minute.” Excellence was keenly aware of the cunning of Average. Average knew that all five of Excellence’s team members had to operate at optimal levels for Excellence to be released, and like a predator hunting a pack, Average had to keep at least one or two members down to stay alive and make sure that Excellence was subdued.

Average’s words came back to Excellence: “You’ve been my captive here for some time now, and they didn’t even know you were gone until they received a ransom note for your return.” This was Average’s third mistake: not recognizing the significance that someone had noticed—and not knowing that collective, organizational excellence happens one person at a time, and that the realization of the absence of Excellence is the first step of recovery.

She knew that her team had been made aware of her absence and that they would do everything they could to get her back. She also had a good idea of who had sent the ransom note.