How do you set high standards?

A few years ago, I dropped my youngest child off to begin her freshman year at an out-of-state university. Her mother and I attended her initial orientation meetings with her.

As we listened, I was struck by how much was similar to when I first attended college and how much was different. There was one paired similarity and difference that I think really speaks to the skill of leadership in an organization.

Here’s what I noticed.

I’m not sure how much of this was due to the era I grew up in, how much of this was the specific institution I attended, and how much was who I was at the time, but when I attended college, the message I seemed to get was something like, “We have high standards, and if you want to stay here, you had better live up to them.”

In my daughter’s orientation meetings, the message I seemed to hear went more like, “We have high standards, and we’re going to do everything we can to help you meet them.”

The difference reminded me of something I read from Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge in their book, “Helping People Win at Work.” The business philosophy was called, “Don’t mark my paper; help me get an A.”

When the people who report to you know that you’re on their side, ready to help them become the people who will achieve the results they want, then they’re likely to be energized by concrete, measurable goals and high standards. But if your tendency is to scold, mock, or pressure those who don’t measure up, then high standards become a source of fear.

So yes, set high standards, and hold your people accountable to meet them. But first, show them that you’re ready to give them the support that they need to be able to achieve those aspirational goals.