Consistency Gives Leaders the Edge

Have you ever been a regular at a restaurant and ordered the same thing every visit? Time after time you’re presented with the menu and you banter with the waiter: “Jim! How’s it going? I think we both know what I’m ordering!” There’s something extremely satisfying for both sides of this equation: Jim feels he knows you, because he knows your order. You feel you know Jim, because he knows your order, you know his name and you know the experience you’re getting.

Does the restaurant you pictured still exist? Do you still go there regularly? Have they changed the menu? “Oh, hey Jim! … What do you mean they took the spaghetti arrabbiata off the menu? Did no one else ever order it?! Err ok… I guess I need to choose something new.” Betrayal! The contract is broken and it’s likely you will drop your half of the bargain and stop visiting as a result.

Consistency is key to relationship building - and in leadership, the stakes are higher.

Consistency is commitment

Commit to it and stick to it. That’s the basic premise of consistency. A Gallup study showed that consistent communication is connected to higher engagement, so if you say you’re going to do it, do it. If you don’t keep your word, employees will lose trust and become disengaged. The same study shows leaders account for up to 70% of variance in engagement in employees, so if we expect consistent engagement, we need to show it ourselves. If you’re serving spaghetti carbonara in the form of 1-1 meetings every Tuesday, serve that warm, steaming bowl 🍝 every Tuesday, without fail.

Don’t play favourites

Imagine if you were Jim’s favourite. After a few weeks of showing up to the restaurant at the same time, you received a beaming smile and he memorised your order by heart. You feel special, and you don’t hesitate to return. But Janet’s also been coming every week, for just as long as you have. Janet complained her rare steak was undercooked the first time she visited, and Jim has never liked her. He’s never memorised her order and he’s often slow to serve her. Jim’s lack of consistency is not only damaging to the business’ reputation, it’s damaging to his own. His promotion chances are as good as a lucky draw – they depend on which guest the manager asks for feedback.

You will have favourites in your team. But the moment you show your preference, you’re playing with fire. Ask yourself - would I make that decision regardless of who the employee is?

Repeat Yourself

Further proof that parrots 🦜 are great leaders. if you want to find out why parrots are great at showing empathy too, read here. Consistency in leadership is tough. Jim’s manager has twice asked him to clear table 23 within the next hour. If Jim’s manager fails to show consistency and ends up doing it himself, Jim will get the message that if he delays long enough, someone else will fill in for him. Instead, Jim’s manager has two choices: ask Jim a third, fourth, even fifth time or explain “time is too short so I will need to step in. I’d appreciate you explaining why you couldn’t get to this in time.”

Have you ever sent the wrong message due to lack of consistency? As long as an action you’ve requested remains un-done, it’s time to communicate the same message clearly and concisely a second, third, fourth time. If people know you always follow up, they’ll begin to do it first time around.

In a Nutshell

Show up and serve 🍝 your team the same experience every day, so they know where they stand. Don’t suddenly change the menu without careful expectation management. If someone misses your message the first time, serve it up again and again until it’s heard. And don’t be tempted to give some team members the Michelin star treatment if you can’t afford to give it to everyone.