The Power of Consistency in Leadership
Grand Canyon National Park
Majestic. Immense. Humbling. Try as I might, I don’t think there are words to describe the 360 degrees of beauty on the South Kaibab trail in the Grand Canyon. I’m lucky to have found myself hiking for a few days with my wife and two friends.
Walking along, my mind drifted to how this place was formed. Consistent forces of nature, over long periods, generated this amazing scenery. The river’s behavior, cutting this channel, has been consistent and relentless. It has powerfully driven incremental change, with stunning long-term results.
Navigating a part of the trail that reminded me exactly how scared I am of heights 😱, I managed to distract myself by thinking about the power of consistency in leadership behavior, and living according to consistent values.
Why is Consistency in Leadership Important?
Being consistent in leadership means that our talk and our behavior are in full alignment. Always! We cannot merely say what is important, our behavior has to back it up. If we say that Safety is the highest priority for example, then we should stop acting like productivity is more important than safety! When tough decisions need to be made, we need to make these decisions in alignment with our stated values.
Our ability as leaders to be consistent helps our teams know how to behave and prioritize. Our consistency
empowers our team members to take action, confident in the belief that they are acting correctly,
reveals our true values, and
establishes the culture of our work environment as others emulate our actions and attitudes.
We generate results with everyone prioritizing the same topics and empowered to act! Actions happen at a faster and faster pace as leadership consistency builds organizational trust. As trust builds, employees feel more and more empowered to take action independent of central command and control, as they are confident they are acting in accordance with leadership’s priorities.
Your Behavior Confirms Your Values and Priorities
As a leader at any level, we are always being watched by team members for clues as to what we truly value. Do we really believe what we preach, or is that all just lip service? The consistency of our behavior, attitude, priorities, and communication will be noticed and will give others license to behave the same way. This is why maintaining a consistently positive demeanor in alignment with our stated values is so critical. We must consistently act with, high energy, mental presence, and positivity to support great results.
There will be times when you need to take actions that will appear on the surface to run against your stated values and priorities. When this happens and we need to change direction, we must identify and communicate ‘why’ to ensure no loss of momentum, as the change will otherwise be seen as inconsistent with our previous values, communications, or actions.
Being consistent in our behavior requires conscious thought, effort, and deliberate choices, yet is critical to being able to channel the full power of our resources to the correct topics, and achieve our desired results. This consistency reinforces our workplace culture and allows the team to thrive and deliver.
The river carving this canyon doesn’t change its priority, behavior, or attitude. It is timeless and in its consistency is its power to change its surroundings - one grain of sand at a time.
For help honing your leadership skills, work with a coach who can help point out where you are going off-track, and reveal techniques for improving your consistency.
