People value consistency in their leaders. Consistency removes uncertainty and leads to trust. Trust, in turn, leads to influence.
Most of us have had the experience of working for people who were hot and cold; one day they were one way and the next day another. We didn’t feel secure in their leadership because, in actuality, we didn’t know who they were.
And, since we didn’t know who they were, we didn’t know what they were going to do, or where we stood with them from one day to the next.
While we might have had to comply with their orders and with their moods, we were probably not as committed to them as leaders as we might otherwise would have been. Thus, their ability to influence us was lacking.
I know I experienced it when I was an employee. As Jim Rohn used to say, “from some people you learn what to do; from others you learn what not to do.”
Consistency is key. Have you found this to be true?
And, as a leader and influencer, how are you doing in this regard?
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We also enjoy being right. So when we see that someone is consistent, we can be “right” about what we thought they would do. It validates our own good judgement 🙂
Great post, Bob and it makes me think of our weekly training calls, with two of my FAVORITE leaders ~you and Kathy! No matter how hectic your schedule, or where in the world either of you might be, on Monday at 5PM, you both:
1. Show up!
2. Sound genuinely happy to be there
3. Are genuinely interested in what we have to say
4. Share a TON of valuable information with us
5. Begin and end on time
6. Listen to whatever we want to talk about, even adjusting your agnda when necessary
7. Thank us for coming and wish us a GRRRRRRRRRRREAT WEEK!
I LOVE MONDAYS 🙂
Beth: Very true, and an excellent point. There are a number of reasons why we value consistency which most likely date back to cave-dweller days and have become engrained in our brains. (After all, it was important to know if the sound you heard in the distance was that of a potential dinner…or a potential diner!) 🙂 Might make a good topic for another post. Thank you, Beth! (By the way, HUGE CONGRATS on the release of your new book. Please feel free to post a link for us!)
WOW – thank you, Linda. Your comment means a LOT to me!!!!!
I believe the key to consistency is having a vested interest in your clients and caring about them. If you care about each one if your clients, you want to do right by them…every time. That creates consistency by wanting to fulfill clients’ needs in the most sincere manner. This breaks a mold that the status quo has created by other’s mentality. Once trust is established, then the client will GIVE you more opportunities to be consistent. The ball is rolling now! Now, you have the opportunity to be that center of influence that people NEED! Thank you for this post. I’m a huge fan and can’t get enough of your message! Have a great day!
John Brown
John: Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful feedback. Great points. And, thank you for your very kind words personally, as well! 🙂
Beth, great point and so true!
Linda, thank you for your extremely kind words. I love our Monday Go-Giver Coach calls too!
An awesome and very succinct post, Max!
Thank you, 99! You are consistently Awesome-A-Rama!!!!!
Great post to ponder Bob!
Your post has me wondering about this…. The value of consistency consists of …values. And these values may differ in terms of priority and importance for each one of us!
A leader may consistently show up every day, yet are they PRESENT when they are there?
A leader may be consistently grumpy so employees feel they must walk on eggshells most of the time.
A leader may consistently make time to listen, yet does that make them honest? Will they tell you the truth?
This really stood out for me:
‘since we didn’t know who they were, we didn’t know what they were going to do, or where we stood with them from one day to the next.’
Of course, all of the above is of me looking at others in leadership. When it comes to my own, I find it to be similar in terms of values. Different people tend to value different things from me. Whether that was the people I led at work, to my children, family, etc.
For me, it seems the trust grows or is lost in direct proportion to how close or far apart the shared values are. First, we have to know what each person values. If we don’t know that, we can’t adequately serve each others needs. We tend to lead from our own when we don’t know the values of the other person. (in general)
This is a great post Bob. Remarkably short yet very deep! : )
Samantha: Thank you for your thoughtful comments. And, indeed, the benefits of consistency are based on positive traits and values as opposed to negative ones. And, the values of the parties must be in alignment in order for it to be the strongest and most positive relationship. And, even if there is disagreement with one’s philosophy (though, assuming that any malevolence is not a part of it), we tend to respect those leaders who are most consistent. Again, great points, and I appreciate you taking the time to share with us!
Hi Bob,
We loved your blog! Consistency in leadership is essential to nurture and allow inpirational growth to happen. We all know that the sun is going to rise and set every day no matter what. A leader has to be the sun that shines even when clouds get in the way.
Smiles of appreciation from The English Sisters the Everyday Hypnotherapists
and authors in Rome
English Sisters: Hello, my great hypnotic author friends. Thank you for your comment. And, I love the metaphor you used. Then again, you always do that so well in your teachings. Please feel free to post a link on where people can find out more about your videos and other services.
Even beyond the psychological factors of being consistent, it’s incredibly important to reinforce a consistent concrete message of where you are taking those you lead. And as you say, not just in words but in deeds.
One piece of advice for leaders trying to do this is to take your work seriously, but not yourself. Way too many people in leadership positions have it the other way around.
-Jake
Jake: Thank you for your feedback and great advice!
Hi Bob.
Great blog post. When I was reading it, I thought of the Law of Authenticity! When someone is consistent, I think there is a good chance they are authentic! Whether or not they are GREAT, or just OK, or someone I agree or disagree with…., I can always work with someone who is consistent!
Ditto to Lindar’s list of consistent leadership and influence that you and Kathy provide to our Go-Giver family.
Warm regards,
Mary
Mary: Thank you. And, yes, authentic people tend to be consistent people, acting congruently with their thoughts and feelings. And, I agree, always easier to work with someone who is consistent. Guess work isn’t needed in that case. Thank you for your kind words regarding Lindar’s list!
Hi Bob,
This is an important topic to think about in Any relationship. I know that as a parent, it made a huge difference to my children that I was consistent in my responses…to the best of my human ability, that is 🙂
As leaders, we want people to truly know who we are and what we represent. So it matters a great deal that we present ourselves to the world in a manner that they can rely upon. They need to feel secure that our methods are sound and our words will be thoughtful and presented with clarity. And as Mary said here, authenticity is a wonderful guidepost!
Thanks so much,
Anita
Anita: What a powerful commentary. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us!
Bob,
Great blog posting. As Linda quite rightly points out it is all about showing up. Being a leader and consistently showing up can be a challenge for some people. When you are consistent with your behaviour, then you extend your influence and have greater impact on your team and your clients. It is also important to understand the principle of self-leadership outside of the work environment. Leadership does not stop when we leave work. We are leading people in our families, communities and beyond. When we decide to show up and be consistent we have the ultimate influence on those who are close to us.
Thanks to two great leaders in Bob and Kathy who consistently show up and lead the Go-Giver coaches.
Pete: Thank you for your kind compliment, and for the wisdom you added to the discussion with your thoughts and comments. Much appreciated!
Nice discussion here. Being consistent for me means doing what I say I’ll do. This means I have to be careful not to make promises I can’t keep. It keeps me in authenticity to behave this way.
I have a client who is hot one day and cold the next and he wonders why he can’t seem to hold on to his best people. Getting him to see this truth is a challenge, but it seems to be working.
Suzanne
Suzanne: Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. Absolutely, that makes so much sense. And, yes, so great that you are helping your client see an excellent course correction for him to make. I’m rooting for it to work out for everyone involved!