Mediocrity?

by Ryan Krzykowski

This was a fun exercise — knowing I was going to write on mediocrity, I asked the search engine which pro sports team is the most mediocre.  The answer was a delight.  Yes, they were awesome in the 90s, but the 90s were a LONG time ago.  And since then, the Dallas Cowboys have been decidedly mediocre.  Not terrible.  Plenty of playoff visits (and early exits).  But no Super Bowl trips, not even a visit to the NFC title game since January, 1996.  So yeah, I’d say that’s pretty mediocre.

This idea of mediocrity has been on my mind since I saw some words in an online post from a disgruntled former teacher.  To be clear, I know almost nothing about this person’s circumstances at work or otherwise, so I’m in no position to judge life/career decisions.  That said, the writer shared about getting into teaching, filled with ideals and determined to make a difference.  A short time later, that same teacher left the profession, disappointed at feeling like a “cog in a giant mediocrity machine”.  Again, no judgment from me about that individual’s decision.  I’ve got no idea about all that went into their choice.

Taking a step back, though, reading that made me grateful for things I learned early in my career.  Is there mediocrity all around us?  Of course…it’s everywhere, all the time.  And some days I’m certainly guilty of contributing to the mediocrity.  But on the whole, especially in a profession like teaching/coaching, we typically have enough autonomy to carve out an enclave of excellence within just about any larger body.  Not only that, but if we’re at it long enough we can usually find ourselves in a position of influence with the people directly around us, enough to help them move meaningfully away from mediocrity and toward excellence as well.

So while my individual attitude and effort might be the tiniest of drops in the bucket in the big picture, I will never see myself as a cog in a mediocrity machine.  I am called to pursue greatness and help others do the same.  There are “good works prepared in advance for me to do” (Ephesians 2:10), and I want to focus my energy there.

Let’s Coach With Purpose…