Are we coddling mediocrity?

“Dare to dream” is what I usually tell young people who are around me. In fact, any one who works with me, I usually warn them that I am like a tornado, I create a whirlwind of energy that pulls in and up anyone who is in my sphere, jump on board and let’s move forward together, but all detractors get left behind. I firmly believe that anything you can dream is achievable and I believe that we need as young entrepreneurs to work at inculcating the value system of achievement and excellence in the next generation for which we are now responsible. This will manifest itself in a level of work pride that transcends all types and levels of work.

The baton is in our hands to pass on our learning, work ethic and value systems to the next generation. In speaking with some of my colleagues and friends, we concede that we might have been the last generation to benefit from the traditional value system that existed of old. The very same that the late Nappy Meyers spoke of when he sang, “bring back the ole time days.” That for sure we cannot do, but if we speak of the future of perfect 20/20 vision then we need to extract some of those ole time remedies to cure the current malady. If not then what of the future of business and economics that underpin the very civilisation of society. Is it enough to exist in a burglarproof state of permanent paranoia, blinded by the illusion of oil rich grandeur, that our quality of life is that much more than it really is? How then do we define quality of life?

Indifference to mediocrity
With our TV magazine show, The E-Zone, we travel the Caribbean and the world. It never ceases to amaze how much we take for granted in Trinidad and Tobago. “The embarrassment of riches” someone once referred to our constant state of indifference to mediocrity, as it exists around us even as we enjoy the highest revenues when compared to our neighbours.

It is as though because we are blessed with natural resources, beautiful and talented people and a rich culture, we should not also benefit from efficient systems, implemented laws and make-sense infrastructure that translates into a clean environment, safer communities, less violent schools, stronger national pride as demonstrated by an organised commitment to national culture and other non-monetary or intangible contributors to a better quality of life. We need to elevate our thinking and our topics of conversation to be ideas based. This should start from pre-school and permeate all the way through to tertiary level and then the organisation.

The challenge is to build an innovative and creative  spirit that thrives on excellence in any environment. Indeed our young people need to be taught and lead by example to believe that greatness exists in all of us and life is a constant effort to channel that greatness into positive directions that redound to the benefit of anything or anyone in your presence. Children, who are fed on a daily diet of ideas, grow into thinkers, doers and achievers.

Start with the mind
The achieving spirit starts in the mind and is infused into our homes, schools, business places and community. Many of our young people enter the workplace thinking that all they need to do is pass through the day and then get paid at the end of the month. In some there appears to be no commitment to the end result. I believe that even if you do the most menial of tasks, at the end of it someone else must be able to salute your work as that of class and excellence — even if you sweep the streets of Port-of-Spain! And lawd we know how much they need a good sweeping!

If we nurture a laissez faire culture among our young people, this filters, as it now does, into the work place making it difficult to achieve optimum productivity at any level. Creating the next generation of excellence takes time and commitment. Working with young people means training, coaching and retraining. I suggest that whether it is through the OJT Programme (On-the Job Training) or through your own home grown model, young entrepreneurs who possess that sense of quality spirit take ownership of the responsibility to ensure that it is passed on.

Adopt a trainee, mentor a student, and sponsor an incubator programme for business excellence. Do something. Don’t just earn money! Yes that is what business is all about, but as Deepak Chopra says, another name for money is currency, which means in circulation. We need to keep money circulating in order to continue to benefit from its wealth. I want to add that we also need to keep ideas circulating if we are to become a high performing, wealth creating society.

Lisa Wickham is the
Managing Director of
Vision Marketing
Caribbean Co Ltd

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt