In today’s vernacular if something doesn’t go well, does not meet expectations or seems unfair, we say it sucks. When the employee says, “This sucks” referring to performance, company, manager, team or their job, it is synonymous with dissatisfaction with effort, treatment or results and must be addressed.

The word “sucks” is part of our vocabulary and describes our displeasure with the current situation, especially when it falls short of the results we want. We can use the word suck in a manner that can be delivered with humor to take the sting out of our disappointment. Or we can speak it to show serious anger and dissatisfaction with performance or circumstances.

Expressing displeasure in such a casual or colloquial language calls us to task and demands us to work harder to improve. It acknowledges our transparency in recognizing that change is required. There is also the possibility that many things may be wrong, and some elements may suck more than others. We may suck on many different levels and we must get to the root cause of missing our objectives.

There is a quality component to our work. Growth in our performance is often a function of reducing the number of errors. If we can cut down the number of mistakes, we will not suck as badly. Therefore, we will be in a better position to succeed.

7 Steps to Suck-less

There are 7 Suck less Factors (SLF’s) we should consider to improve performance. This is not a comprehensive list but should contain practical tactics and strategies. They will serve as step down therapy, so we suck less and less until we achieve the desired success we need. These 7 Suck-less Factors are;

1. Be the CEO of the Ego
2. Adopt a Decision-making System
3. Avoid Repeatable Offenses
4. Be Open to the Truth.
5. Suppress Unproductive Thoughts and Actions
6. Minimize Mingling with Morons
7. Consult an Oracle

Be the CEO of the Ego

We should be Command and Control of our thoughts and actions. Manage our ego and keep it in check, aligned with our purpose. Ego is accountable for the pride we have in our performance. Use it to ensure that we complete all the relevant actions with the quality necessary to achieve excellence. The ego is driven to compete. While working to correct deficiencies, we must make sure emotional intelligence is used or we may leave people strewn along the landscape which is not good for morale or engagement. It is critical to monitor how we meet people and how we treat people.

As the CEO of the ego we must minimize deficiencies and effectively manage time and other resources. Lead and manage by focusing on our Vision, Mission and Goals (VMG’s).

Adopt a Decision-making System

A decision making, and problem-solving methodology could work in our favor, to add structure to our thinking. I am an advocate of The Know System™ featured in my book The Isle of Knowledge.

The Know System™ is a simple and intuitive decision making and problem-solving model based on the word know. On a sheet of paper, flip chart or computer screen we can write the word Know at the top. We should list the two, three and four-letter words found in the word Know (Won, Know, Now, No, On, Own, Ow, Ok, Wok). We can use the words to address the problem or decision we want to address. For example:

Won:   What does success / winning look like? (Vision)

Know: What do you Know or need to Know?

Now:   What are you doing Now? Is it the right priority?

No:      Who or what do you have to say No to?

Wok:   Are you stirring things up, disrupting and changing?

OK:      Are you good enough? Only works on checklist

On:      Are you turned On, passionate, focused and excited?

Ow:     What are the pain points and pain threshold?

Own:   Are you committed, responsible and accountable?

Avoid Repeatable Offenses

We must learn from our mistakes and recognize that they are mistakes. This heightened self-awareness will be good for us. Smaller doses of stupidity are necessary. It is viewed as stupidity only when demonstrating the definition of insanity by performing the same actions and expecting different results.

Be Open to the Truth

We should be open to information that is given in a manner to help our development. We also tend to look disparagingly on those who try to tell us what to do. We should remove barriers that impede acquiring the information we need to succeed. Don’t weed whack feedback. Feedback is essential to gain an accurate perspective of our current reality. Feedback is also needed to assess progress and increase self-awareness, for it is an important aspect of emotional intelligence.

Additionally, we may have a blind-spot, a bias in a certain area that we cannot see. Someone may have a vantage point, which is to our advantage. They could point us in the right direction, enabling us to see more clearly. We need to adopt a mindset around a suck-less state of being.

Suppress Unproductive Thoughts and Actions

We need to ween ourselves from unproductive thoughts and actions. They are like speed bumps on a highway of achievement. They will curtail our ability to reach posted speed limits for success. We should curb our cravings for negativity, unproductive thoughts and actions which are the empty calories of performance. Ensure that we concentrate on those activities that support our priorities (VMG’s – Vision, Mission, Goals).

Minimize Mingling with Morons

The people we associate with are key. Those who add value and optimism over negativity are helpful. We should inoculate and isolate from ignorance, by limiting our exposure to the misfortune tellers, who always predict a negative result.

Consult an Oracle

We should surround ourselves with people who can fearlessly review our performance and offer advice. They can challenge us with scenarios and potential situations that will help us anticipate the future of present and proposed responses to our actions. They will ensure that we are not satisfied with a level of performance that sucks. They will encourage us to do better and to believe that we can do better.

We must look in the mirror and confront performance that is not up to par, standard or acceptability. Be painfully objective and truthful as an important step for growth. The goal on our way to success is to suck less in our everyday job execution and minimize or eliminate the frequency of events that are unacceptable.

If we can incrementally or drastically reduce the number of times we fall short of expectations, we will suck less in the long run. These seven steps are steps in the right direction to help us suck less on the road to success.

Copyright © 2018 Orlando Ceaser