“Consistency is the key to unlocking your true potential.”
Simon Sinek
How well do you trust the growth process? How ready are you to trust that it will actually take time to see results?
When we embark on a journey to change, seeing immediate results can be exhilarating and rewarding! New habits feel good; we can be invigorated by adopting a fresh mindset, taking on a new project or challenge, or declaring a new goal. But this rush can often fade into the background of everyday life unless you adopt a mindset of consistency.
I’ve coached dozens of executives, leaders, and managers and have watched people experience one of two outcomes when working toward a new venture, role, or goal.
- Those who apply their learning, new habits, new skills, and new behaviors are those who get to the next step.
- Those who demonstrate a rush of sudden efforts but then give up or space out these efforts over time are often still where they were before.
Real, long-lasting results don’t happen overnight. They don’t happen by chance either.
Professional and personal transformation requires consistency. The PointNorth approach leverages the human desire for consistency and stability to create meaningful shifts in your mindset and behavior over time. Put plainly; consistency is consistently successful.
This does not mean we are making massive changes overnight – to do that, you’d need to become a completely different person! Instead, it’s about subtle, drop-by-drop change, done repetitively, with discipline and trust.
Patience and Consistent Effort
Think of consistency like the steady flow of a gentle stream carving its path through solid rock. With each passing moment, the water persistently brushes against the hard surface, undeterred by its initial resistance. Though seemingly insignificant at first, the repetition of its touch, day after day, creates a profound impact.
Gradually, the hard rock begins to yield, and over time, what was once an immovable obstacle transforms into a pathway for the water to continue to flow.
The water’s persistence proves that patience and unwavering dedication can overcome even the most demanding challenges.
This analogy beautifully portrays how consistency, repetition, and patience can bring about transformative change, just as the gentle flow of water can completely change the shape of solid rock over time. It serves as a reminder that consistent effort, no matter how small, can eventually lead to remarkable results.
Consistency in Leadership
Consistency is far more than a virtue; it is the backbone of effective leadership and management. In today’s fast-paced corporate world, where change is constant, consistency becomes even more crucial. Consistent leaders embody the reliability, stability, and steadfastness needed to inspire teams to be successful.
Here are a few ways consistency could show up in your everyday leadership.
- Establish – and communicate – clear expectations. When everyone knows what’s expected, success rates flourish.
- Treat everyone fairly. Foster trust and an equitable, positive work environment through clear standards that apply to everyone.
- Make yourself accessible. Regularly engage with your team, providing support, guidance, and open lines of communication.
- Provide constructive feedback. Individuals who receive regular clear, actionable feedback improve and grow at a rate far more significant than those who don’t.
- Empower your team to make decisions. Your team members are the experts! Trust them to use their knowledge and experience to do the job without micro-managing.
Consistency in Demonstrating Helpful Behaviors
Leaders who walk the talk of consistent positive behaviors set a powerful example for their teams. If you make a promise, keep it!
Many leaders fall into the habit of speaking from a place of vision that ends up more like wishful thinking than actionable leadership. To avoid this, consistently align your words with your actions.
For example, if collaboration is important to you and your team, create opportunities for your teams to solve problems and share knowledge meaningfully. Choose projects and issues that are not surface-level efforts but with real and tangible value to your organization.
Practicing empathy and celebrating achievements are two valuable ways to keep your team’s needs as human beings at the forefront of your mind. Fostering strong relationships is as important to consistency as the actions themselves; demonstrating your understanding and compassion lets your people know that you care about them and will continue to hold them to high standards. Reinforcing their consistent efforts with celebrations is another way to practice empathy; don’t overlook the power of acknowledgment!
Consistency in Creating a New Company Culture
Whether your company culture is undergoing a complete overhaul or some minor changes, there are a few best practices for leaders to embody to keep the vision and purpose of the organization at the head of it all.
- Lead by consistently embodying and promoting the values and behaviors that are important to you and the organization. Truly, sincerely, fully.
- Regularly communicate the organization’s vision, mission, and cultural expectations. Over and over again, even if you feel you have done it already more than once. Bonus points if you create these collaboratively with your teams!
- Align your policies with your practices. Say what you do, and do what you say. Be coherent, be consistent.
- Support and guide your teams with training, support, and resources. Give them what they need to reach their goals.
In the case of change management, it is vital to put transparency at the top of your list of values. When employees are informed about changes – and their impact – they are far more likely to stick around and support the change efforts. Teams whose concerns or fears are left unaddressed will fill in the blanks, and the results might be far from what you want or expect!
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
Steve Jobs
The positive effects of a consistent leadership approach are endless! Like a stream that gathers momentum after carving its way through rock, your efforts also gain power and begin to impact others positively when you consistently complete small, meaningful actions that align with your goals.
When you adopt consistency…
You create trust and credibility, building trust between you and your teams because everyone knows what to expect from you – and what you expect from them.
You enhance stability while fostering a more engaged, collaborative, and motivated group of people aligned with common goals.
You teach adaptability as navigating change becomes second nature.
Teams with leaders who behave in a consistent, reliable way know that everything is going to work out as it should. This allows teams to create innovative solutions to problems and accomplish more – because they are not in a constant state of worry, second-guessing, or playing the game of shame and blame.
Consistency breathes belonging. Growth. Positivity. Compassion. Confidence.And most importantly of all? Inspiration. Consistency in self-leadership sets an example for others to follow through with mental discipline and a growth mindset that quickly becomes a force of nature.
Embrace consistency, one choice at a time.
Embrace the power of consistency in your self-leadership journey, and witness its remarkable impact on your professional and personal success. Remember, consistency is not a one-time choice; it’s a lifelong commitment to your growth and excellence as a leader and human being.
To create a map of the consistent steps that will make the most significant impact on your life and business, enlist the help of the experts! PointNorth International is here to help guide you through what keeps you from adding consistency to your leadership practice. Reach out to schedule a discovery call with expert executive coach Dominique to take the first step!
“Consistency is not perfection. It is simply refusing to give up, taking small steps every day, and repeating the process.”
Unknown
