Consistent leadership means creating an environment of stability – one where your team can predict how you will respond, depend on you, and know your values because they see you live and lead by them.
You can be consistent and still be agile – in fact, the blend of both is what we as leaders should aspire to. Strong leadership always requires taking some risk in order to move forward; consistent leadership means doing this in a calculated, considered way.
You can be creative and innovative and still be a leader people can rely on.
Why consistency matters
An unpredictable leader creates a culture of anxiety. One where everyone is so busy looking out for themselves and covering their backs that effective collaboration and communication become almost impossible.
People become focused on survival because they don’t know what the business stands for, or what the business will throw at them.
A consistent leader encourages collaboration, innovation and growth. Everyone knows what the business – and its leadership team – wants, so there is a shared goal and path to get there. It inspires confidence, which gives people the permission they need to find new and exciting ways to achieve growth, while bringing teams along with them.
It’s important to me to show consistency in my personal values, as well, and to see those reflected through the business. If you’ve spent years championing diversity, equality and inclusion, for example, only to turn around and cancel everything because the political landscape has shifted, your values weren’t up to much to start with. It will unsettle your team. (For more on this, see my article Why DEI Matters More than Ever for Growing Businesses.)
How can you demonstrate consistent leadership?
- Lead by your values, and stick to them. Clear values mean everyone knows where they stand, and what behaviour they can expect from the business and its leadership.
- Set goals and hold yourself accountable for reaching them. Communicating goals clearly – and demonstrating you’ve met them – shows everyone in the business that you deliver on your promises. Sometimes that will mean making difficult decisions, but if those decisions are in line with your values and your goals, they’ll be for the benefit of the business and people will understand.
- Listen to others and learn from them. Being consistent doesn’t mean never changing your path. Listening to different views – and being prepared to adapt when needed – sets the tone for the rest of the business, and encourages others to course correct or flex a strategy when it’s needed.
- Create a culture of psychological safety. This will encourage people to innovate, share ideas and even spot and report errors early on, all of which will foster creativity and innovation in the business.
Consistent leadership is about being brave, even in tumultuous times. We can all take responsibility for creating a stable space for our teams, where they can feel secure and supported, to help the business grow and thrive.
