From an employee’s perspective, one of the most frustrating issues that could be present in the workplace is leadership that proves to be inconsistent. This lack of managerial consistency can wind up causing some serious problems and is often demonstrated through a variety of repeated behaviors.
These behaviors often include:
- Falling through on commitments.
- Lateness or absenteeism from scheduled meetings.
- Unannounced procedural changes and frustration when workers aren’t aware of the change.
- Overpromising beyond the company’s capabilities.
- Promising success with no strategy to accomplish it.
This kind of inconsistency can be downright toxic to the business, leading to turnover, poor customer interactions and relationships, and an assortment of other detriments to anyone associated with the business—those who work there, those who work with it, and even those just considering the idea of working with it.
Let’s look at why it is so important to demonstrate consistency within your business.
Consistency Signals Respect
If you were to be inconsistent in how you ran your business, it would make you come up as irresponsible at best. As a leader, you need to be sure that your team respects you enough to follow, and that your clientele is confident enough to bet money on you. Too many contradictory actions and this respect and confidence will likely evaporate.
The best leaders, historically speaking, lead by example, and you’ll likely get as you give if you show your clients and employees alike the respect that a bit of stability suggests. In order to lead effectively, you need to be trusted to act a certain way. By its very definition, consistency will give that trust the foundation it needs.
Consistency Breeds Accountability
On a related note, accountability is equally important to those in leadership roles. Let’s face it, if the people working under you are underperforming to your expectations, you’d say they were falling short, right? Well, employees rightly feel the same way about management—there are certain responsibilities that company leadership must answer for. Failing that encourages some not-so-great repercussions, including mixed results, unpredictable costs, and lacking productivity.
Consistency Reveals Patterns
When your processes are followed consistently, it can help you generate the metrics that will be most useful to you as you crunch the numbers for your business analytics. While this will take at least three months of sustained (or, shall we say consistent) consistency, you’ll soon have the data you need to make an informed decision.
Consistency Signals Character
Reputation management has never before been such a crucial consideration for a business, as exposure to the public eye has never been so prevalent before. It isn’t exactly a secret that treating your team members poorly can come back to haunt an organization, so if you constantly change the environment they work in, it will only promote a lack of faith in your leadership. While innovation is to be welcomed, of course, your team will need a bit of a warning ahead of any major shifts.
What do you think is the greatest benefit that business consistency can bring? Keep checking back for more great technology content!
