lingness to accept mediocre performance is also deeply rooted in the culture of many businesses. North America has been blessed with such an excellent economy over much of the last two decades that many managers have gotten away with this attitude and still done reasonably well.

When managers allow employees to put in 40 hours while the company receives only about 20 hours of prod

In articles I’ve written over the years, I have used “laissez-faire,” a term more frequently used to characterize governments than businesses, to describe a rather laid-back management style. When I use this term, I am referring to management personnel who put very little pressure on employees to achieve their full potential by pushing them toward peak performance levels.

Laissez-faire managers had much rather maintain a stress-free relationship with their personnel than face the antagonistic environment that sometimes arises when employee confrontations become necessary. They rarely “push” their people; they allow each employee to set his or her own performance standards.

Now Judith M. Bardwick, a psychologist and management consultant, has used another typically government-associated term to describe an equally costly corporate malady; this time it’s entitlement. I believe that entitlement is deeply rooted in many businesses in our industry.

Barwick describes business entitlement programs as “giving people reasonably good jobs without documenting what the company gets in return, resulting in people either not working, or people thinking they are working when, in reality, they are not adding anything of value to the business.”

Just a couple of examples of entitlement that I observe take place when employees make remarks like, “It’s January 10th and I haven’t received my raise yet.” Another is, “I received my Christmas bonus last week and all they gave me this year was a check for a lousy $200.”

A willingness to accept mediocre performance is also deeply rooted in the culture of many businesses. North America has been blessed with such an excellent economy over much of the last two decades that many managers have gotten away with this attitude and still done reasonably well.

When managers allow employees to put in 40 hours while the company receives only about 20 hours of prod

faire managers had much rather maintain a stress-free relationship with their personnel than face the antagonistic environment that sometimes arises when employee confrontations become necessary. They rarely “push” their people; they allow each employee to set his or her own performance standards.

Now Judith M. Bardwick, a psychologist and management consultant, has used another typically government-associated term to describe an equally costly corporate malady; this time it’s entitlement. I believe that entitlement is deeply rooted in many businesses in our industry.

Barwick describes business entitlement programs as “giving people reasonably good jobs without documenting what the company gets in return, resulting in people either not working, or people thinking they are working when, in reality, they are not adding anything of value to the business.”

Just a couple of examples of entitlement that I observe take place when employees make remarks like, “It’s January 10th and I haven’t received my raise yet.” Another is, “I received my Christmas bonus last week and all they gave me this year was a check for a lousy $200.”

A willingness to accept mediocre performance is also deeply rooted in the culture of many businesses. North America has been blessed with such an excellent economy over much of the last two decades that many managers have gotten away with this attitude and still done reasonably well.

When managers allow employees to put in 40 hours while the company receives only about 20 hours of prod

ypically government-associated term to describe an equally costly corporate malady; this time it’s entitlement. I believe that entitlement is deeply rooted in many businesses in our industry.

Barwick describes business entitlement programs as “giving people reasonably good jobs without documenting what the company gets in return, resulting in people either not working, or people thinking they are working when, in reality, they are not adding anything of value to the business.”

Just a couple of examples of entitlement that I observe take place when employees make remarks like, “It’s January 10th and I haven’t received my raise yet.” Another is, “I received my Christmas bonus last week and all they gave me this year was a check for a lousy $200.”

A willingness to accept mediocre performance is also deeply rooted in the culture of many businesses. North America has been blessed with such an excellent economy over much of the last two decades that many managers have gotten away with this attitude and still done reasonably well.

When managers allow employees to put in 40 hours while the company receives only about 20 hours of prod

hinking they are working when, in reality, they are not adding anything of value to the business.”

Just a couple of examples of entitlement that I observe take place when employees make remarks like, “It’s January 10th and I haven’t received my raise yet.” Another is, “I received my Christmas bonus last week and all they gave me this year was a check for a lousy $200.”

A willingness to accept mediocre performance is also deeply rooted in the culture of many businesses. North America has been blessed with such an excellent economy over much of the last two decades that many managers have gotten away with this attitude and still done reasonably well.

When managers allow employees to put in 40 hours while the company receives only about 20 hours of prod

lingness to accept mediocre performance is also deeply rooted in the culture of many businesses. North America has been blessed with such an excellent economy over much of the last two decades that many managers have gotten away with this attitude and still done reasonably well.

When managers allow employees to put in 40 hours while the company receives only about 20 hours of productivity, the bottom line almost invariably takes it on the chin. Managers cannot continue to allow employees to do things “the old way” or “their way” when their performance is dragging down the overall productivity of the company.

Toleration perpetuates entitlement. In her book, Danger in the Comfort Zone, Barwick says, “Organizations have failed to educate their employees that their work is not just the jobs they perform, but their ability to add value through their position in the company.”

Value equates to earning capacity by the employee for the business. Neither employees nor management can afford to become complacent by believing that they can continue to live off the successes of the past. If they do, the competition is likely to strip them of several of their best customers.

How do you eliminate or prevent the entitlement mindset? Begin by defining individual performance goals and clearly communicating them in measurable terms. Then review results, reward accomplishment and take swift action with those who refuse to participate in the program.

Performance goals must be measurable. They can be measured daily, weekly, monthly or via annual standards. How frequently you give measurable feedback depends on the job function, but what is most essential is that you keep score. Otherwise, how can you possibly know the degree to which each employee is contributing.

To make this point, I often ask my audiences sports-related questions. What’s the magic batting average that a position player must