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The real cost of mediocrity

Why “good enough” isn’t good enough—and how to use performance pay to raise the bar without burning bridges.

Let’s be real: most companies don’t fail because of terrible employees—they fail because of average ones.

Not the ones who skip work or wreck client jobs.
The ones who show up, do “enough,” and blend into the background.
The ones who don’t create big problems but also never move the needle.

And because they don’t rock the boat, they’re the hardest to talk to.
 They aren’t breaking rules... but they’re holding the team back.

That’s the trap of mediocrity.

The silent drain on your business

Mediocrity is expensive.
Way more than you think.

Here’s how it sneaks up on you:

  • Lost jobs. A crew running at 60% capacity doesn’t just finish late; they miss the next job too.
  • Unclaimed bonuses. You budgeted for $4K in bonuses. Your team earned $2.3K. Where’d the rest go? Straight to waste.
  • Burned-out A-players. Your best workers are carrying dead weight. Eventually, they leave or stop trying.
  • Bottlenecked growth. You hesitate to scale because you don’t trust your team to execute consistently.

If you tolerate average too long, it becomes your standard.
And then?
No one gives a damn.

Real talk: It's not about firing people

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to fire your way out of mediocrity.

What you need is transparency.
 Most average performers don’t even realize they’re average.
No one’s told them.
They think they’re doing great—because no one’s shown them otherwise.

Performance pay (like Protiv’s bonus structure) puts the truth on the table.
Not emotionally.
Not subjectively.
Just the numbers.

Once the numbers are visible, you can coach up or out.
 And most people?
They step up once they see the gap.

What to do next: From insight to action

Here’s how to raise the bar without guesswork or confrontation:

1. Pull up your Bonus Statement dashboard.

  • Look at ProPay Efficiency across your crews.
  • Highlight the top 20% and bottom 20%.

2. Ask the brutal question:

  • “If I had to let one crew go tomorrow, would it be one of these low-efficiency crews?”
  • If yes, you’ve spotted your mediocrity.

3. Coach—don’t fire. Yet.

  • Sit down with the crew lead.
  • Pull up their Bonus Statement.
  • Say: “I’m not looking to punish anyone. I’m looking to raise the bar. Here’s where your crew stands. Let’s talk about how to move that number.”

4. Give them a target and a timer.

  • Set a goal (ex: 20% increase in ProPay Efficiency in 30 days).
  • Track weekly, not just monthly.

5. Show the money.
 When they start earning more, say it out loud:

“This wasn’t luck. You earned this bonus by outperforming last week.”

6. Decide based on progress.

  • If they’re growing? Great; keep coaching.
  • If not? They’ve opted out. Time to make a change.

Bottom line:

Mediocrity doesn’t get fixed with wishful thinking. It gets fixed with visibility, clarity, and accountability.

And you don’t need to burn your culture to get there.
You just need to stop paying the same for average.