When we work on our consistency, we are working on our character.
“Walking on eggshells.” “Not one of her people.” “Never knowing where we stand.” Her team didn’t trust her. But, that was not the leader I knew. I had met her three years earlier at a work event. Later we would become peers. She was smart, capable and truly cared about her people. However, her team was not responding. The team wasn’t bad. It just never rose above average.
She wasn’t overbearing. She wasn’t disorganized. She wasn’t incompetent. But, she was inconsistent.
As I think about her and the things I heard from her team, I now see those same things in many leaders I advise. I see inconsistent leaders in the business world, law enforcement, and in the fire services. And I see them at all levels of leadership. The issue is not usually an issue of competence. It is an issue of consistency. The fact is, if a leader is inconsistent, people will comply, but they will not commit.
Here are four cases when a leader’s inconsistency damages trust.
Emotions: Some leaders may act like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That is a leader ruled by their emotions. Nobody knows what version of them will show up on any given day.
A leader needs to control their emotions. I did not say be emotionless. But, if you show you can’t consistently stay in control of yourself in a difficult moment, people will hide information, avoid your presence, and play it safe. You will never get real feedback from anyone on your team.
2. Standards: Other leaders are wishy washy with standards. Some standards they
enforce and others they don’t. That leaves people guessing what the real standards
are, or if the standards are truly important.
A leader who claims to have standards needs to reinforce those standards. I am not talking about running a prison gang. But, I am talking about people knowing where the lines are drawn and being able to count on the leader to do something when the line is crossed. People trust leaders who follow-through on their promises, including when they say something is a standard of behavior.
3. Time: If leaders aren’t careful, they may find themselves spending time with the same
small group of people and leaving others wondering if there are favorites. When that
question creeps into a team, the leader will lose the team.
It is natural to enjoy spending time with certain people on your team. But, we must recognize that everyone deserves our time. Perception is reality. If we spend time disproportionately with certain people, others will believe we have favorites. We need to schedule time for everyone. Even if it is just for check-in phone calls. Giving someone our time is a critical way to build trust.
4. Praise: Most people are doing 90 percent of their job, pretty well. If there is little
praise in the workplace, or if it only lands on certain people, people will wonder if the
leader is paying attention. They will wonder if the effort is worth it. The team will stop
going beyond the minimum.
It is easy for a leader to focus on the mistakes. But people need to know the leader sees the good stuff too. We can even recognize good motives or the effort behind those mistakes. But we must be sure to pay attention to all that is going right. People will comply with a leader who corrects them. People will commit to a leader who corrects them and encourages them. And if they are doing more good than bad, our coaching should reflect those facts.
If a leader does not pay attention to their emotions, the standards, where they spend their time, and how often they give praise, those things will happen inconsistently. Consistency takes intentionality.
Being consistent and building committed teams requires leaders to exercise:
Courage: Acting despite perceived or actual risk.
Humility: Believing and acting like “it’s not about me.”
Integrity: Doing what is good, right, and proper even at personal cost
Selflessness: Putting the needs of others before my own needs, desires, or convenience.
Duty: Taking action based on my assigned tasks and moral obligations.
Positivity: Displaying a positive and/or “can do” attitude, in all circumstances.
In other words, when we work on our consistency in these areas, we are working on our character.
Question:
● Emotions, Standards, Time, Praise: where do you struggle?
● How does inconsistency hurt relationships at home?
Here is a quick assessment that will take you 5 minutes to figure it out. Nobody will ever see your results but you.
Warning: If you are not going to be honest with yourself this is a worthless assessment.
To take the assessment use the QR code above or go to www.MYCHARACTERTEST.com
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