The Value of Standards

Ross Wilson — 20 October 2021

“When the standards have been set, things are tested and weighed. And the work of philosophy is just this, to examine and uphold the standards, but the work of a truly good person is in using those standards when they know them.”

— EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.11.23–25

Sat in a hotel room leaving a project that I believed would make a difference with thoughts going round in my head, thoughts about standards and principles. Did I make the right decision if I did shouldn’t I feel happier about it? I didn’t feel happy and a huge part of me hoped I’d be proved wrong.

Not finishing something I’d started, failed to complete the ‘mission’! isn’t a habit I’d chose to start. Were my personal standards more important than someone else’s aspirations? Are they more important than the financial security of my own family, more important than the needs of others?

I’d agreed to be a consultant on a project with the goal to develop the capacity of an organisation. The initial discussion was enthusing, I was fully on board with the vision. The aim was to take a group of chosen individuals and deliver training that would improve their operational capability and subsequentially their effectiveness. In doing so dramatically improve the safety, security, and quality of living for others. In short, worthwhile work. I’d be doing this as part of a team. A team of likeminded individuals with complementary skillsets. All of us working to a unified purpose.

The training was to be hard, purposefully hard. All familiar territory, very much in my comfort zone; I’d spent my adult life doing just this kind of thing in one guise or another. It was also stated that we would be able to deliver this training without the usual ‘bullshit’ I may have experienced in other sectors. I was keen to get started, it sounded like a great project to be involved in and I’d be there from the start, able to shape and develop it for future iterations. I was even a little nervous! Instructors would be leading by example; the demands of training would be ‘hard’ on them too. This is how I liked to do business, but I am not getting younger. Still fit and active but not in comparison to what I was, would I be able to keep pace? Would my knowledge and skills match that of who I’d be teamed up with or would I be found wanting? It’s ok to be nervous, most of us are.

Meeting the other team members for the first time as we converged on the airport for our flight out, my enthusiasm and nerves remained unabated. They were an impressive group with proven backgrounds and a depth of knowledge, all raring to go. Reassuringly we all appeared to share a professional connection, common values, standards, and shared beliefs. All of which became obvious and prevalent in a short space of time but was it to our detriment.

If a team spirit formed quickly then almost simultaneously a distrust of our leader also emerged, exponentially. Rarely have I experienced such a visceral reaction elicited from so many by one individual. In total 16 instructors came and went in the space of a month. All citing similar reasons for leaving. A reaction rooted in a lack of authenticity coupled with an uncompromising ego. Very quickly every issue surrounding the project was blown out of proportion and I found myself in the position of ‘go between’, constantly mediating between the team and the team leader. A leader who made no attempt to understand the situation, showed no inclination of addressing the cause and increasingly no intention of leading effectively. Something that would become my ‘red line’!

The training was ‘hard work’, for both the trainees and the instructors, but it wasn’t ‘hard’. It was long hours of repetitive and unimaginative training. Training that lacked any detailed forethought and planning. Training that didn’t have logical sequencing, practising skills that would combine over a natural progression. Skills that would offer variety, promote, and maintain the desire to learn through enthusiastic, engaged periods of instruction.

I didn’t agree with the training methodology. Much of the contents was familiar although elements were not only new but what I would avoid doing. They formed, what I considered to be, bad habits and unrealistic practices.

I embraced the new and the unfamiliar. Afterall, new people and new experiences were what I wanted. To learn new skills or at least different ways, to see the world from a different perspective. So why was I struggling to accept the situation I found myself in.

I had agreed to a contract, early discussions did state that the Chief Instructor had different methods and subject matter knowledge, which was, reportedly, proven to work and most importantly it was what the client wanted. I did feel that I had a responsibility to the trainees, fellow instructors, and Senior Leadership team to raise my concerns, discuss my observations and offer alternatives to my employers, who had hired for that reason, but the final decision was theirs. Working for an oppressive leader who lacked integrity was a different matter.

The reality of working unrestricted by ‘bullshit’ turned out different from my expectations. There was more ‘bullshit’ involved in this training than I’d ever witnessed, anywhere. Valuable training time was being wasted. What was lacking though was the application of professional conduct to ensure operational delivery with the safety and wellbeing of those involved in mind. The standards demanded of the trainees and instructors were not displayed by the Chief Instructor, when challenged over this issue it was openly stated that these standards didn’t apply, and he would conduct himself in any way he chose fit. The worst kind of leader! If the leadership style went against everything I believe in, then the personal conduct was abhorrent. You don’t prepare people for hardship by treating them harshly. You build their base knowledge, test them through a series of realistic, interesting, progressive, and demanding training serials. Designed to develop confidence in individual and group ability. Equipping them with mental reference points that support agile thinking. They learn aggression that is underpinned by control, clear thought, and sound judgment.

Standards are supposed to make an individual or an organisation better, to uphold core beliefs in who we are and what we represent. Many organisations have values and standards. They proudly display them on websites, entrance walls, on brochures and corporate merchandise. If they aren’t believed in, followed, and enforced then they are nothing more than decoration, a cosmetic front. It’s hard to ensure that an employee’s personal values and standards match that of an organisation. The least you can expect is a display of values and standards that align as a Company representative. Individual, values, and standards demonstrate character. The world cares little for what you and I stand for, but you know. It’s ourselves that we must reconcile with.

I could’ve stayed and taken the money. Doing something badly is better than doing nothing, right. But for who? I could’ve stayed and delivered sub-standard training and achieved some marginal gains to the trainee’s benefit. However, the training would continue without me regardless. I’d use my knowledge and experience elsewhere to provide for my family whilst looking for the benefits from this episode. Maybe without my reservations the Chief Instructor could proceed without challenge and his autocratic style would be more impactful. Either way leaving was the right thing to do. It’s OK to be sad about a right decision.