Stuck in the middle with you

Today with a client we were discussing how to improve the situation in his workplace. It is a manufacturing business and there is a range of roles from practical production to design engineers and management. Today we were talking about a little bit of feedback that was given in an anonymous survey.

Companies like anonymous surveys and employees prefer them as they allow people to 'be honest' without fearing being singled out for reprisal. There is an issue though as getting feedback this way and then making decisions based upon it is unlikely to help most people, nor management.

The reason is that for most, what is going to bring out their best is going to vary from the person standing next to them. With an anonymous survey only averages and common points can really be considered to act upon. This means that it will help on average but not be sensitive to the individual. Like school.

General schools are unable to provide variation for each student when it comes to creating the environment that will give them the best chance of success. The resources are just not available nor are the skills of the teachers suitable. This is a large part of why home schooled children often outperform the averages as they have an environment and a trainer who cares for them, not the class.

The issue is that most people do not actually realise what brings out the best in them as they have never really thought very deeply on it, nor experimented enough to learn. For most, this means that what they think is the 'best for them' is actually an average that they have learned is the best through their experiences which have targeted average at best. If that makes sense.

The problem is that the environment for each person to excel differs but in most of our world, we demand some semblance of equality. But, if we require a different set of tools and resources, equality cannot provide for everyone. What it does is provide for an average range but some people with that basic set can still excel as that is what they actually require. Many however are left partly in the cold as they need something different to perform at their best.

This means that decisions made on anonymous surveys are like votes in a democracy, a line of best fit that may satisfy some but likely somewhat fails most. It doesn't create an environment for each individual to really have a chance at brilliance, it lumps everyone into the same insensitive pile.

This is why it is up to the individual to understand who they are and what truly provides the space and incentive for them to perform well. And then, not just mention it anonymously as unless the majority say the same, it is unlikely to be addressed or provided.

One can't really expect to get what they require if they are relying on the average to provide it as even the best line will not be suitable for any one person. It will only create a low-level environment that will provide basic support to create averagely skilled people. In this type of scenario, there is very little chance to reach full potential for anyone.

Proactivity is key and the responsibility of the individual is to create the environment themselves. This may require the support of other people which means they need to know, understand and be willing to help. That is unlikely to be done through an anonymous survey. It needs to be done through the building of relationships and the voicing of positions.

Leaving all of these decisions up to group averages means putting one's life in the hands of others and most of those others have never considered what they really need so, what are the chances of them knowing what you need?

In my opinion, the way to get people to perform at their full potential is to help them obtain the skills to be proactive individuals willing to find out what it takes for them to be their best. Trying to create an environment that is suitable for all will never provide the best results possible, it will create an average. Maybe even an above average average. But never the best.

We are all individuals in this world and equality does not mean treating everyone the same, it means treating everyone as a one. Each of us needs to learn what type of one we are.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]