High Performance Needs High Standards
A real challenge for leaders is what to do with people who hit their numbers but don’t align with the standards and values of the team.
The starting point is clarity. As a leader, you need to be very clear on what the company’s values are. Sometimes people miss a value, or don’t align with it, simply because they are not clear on what it is. In other cases, they may see competing priorities, where performance or output is set against a core value such as honesty. That is where compromise can creep in.
It can show up in small ways, such as saying “an item is on the truck” to secure an order, or saying “something is in stock” when it is actually going to be delayed by a day or two. The intention may be to achieve the result, but the way it is done starts to move away from the values the business says it stands for.
This is where leadership matters. When a leader holds a standard, the rest of the team gains clarity around what is actually important. It is not guesswork. People can see what matters and what is expected.
But clarity also needs to be reinforced. What gets measured gets managed, and what gets rewarded gets repeated. When leaders are consistent in what they measure, recognise, and reward, the team begins to understand what the standard really is. Over time, this creates a culture where team members start to hold each other to account, and that is where high-performance teamwork starts to take shape.
The challenge for leaders is not just setting the standard, but holding themselves to it as well. It is easy to make short-term decisions that protect a relationship, avoid an uncomfortable conversation, or make things look good in the moment. But those decisions come at a cost.
The key is to take ownership and responsibility for the long-term health of the organisation, both financially and culturally. That means considering whether people enjoy coming to work and whether they trust what is being said and done.
When leaders avoid holding someone to account, whether through fear of upsetting them or not feeling equipped to have the conversation, the issue does not go away. It builds. What could have been a small correction early on becomes a bigger issue later, often requiring a much more difficult conversation.
That is why it is so important to deal with things early - to pull up the oak while it is still a seedling, rather than allowing negative behaviours to take root.
When leaders are clear on values and consistent in holding the standard, they create a culture where performance and behaviour align. That is what allows teams not just to perform, but to perform well together.
