Consistency is a choice

Just how good do you want to be? What level of the game do you want to play? How important is that vision of yours? How passionate are you about the work you do? How committed are you to achieving excellence? If you were an aspiring athlete with your sights set on winning Olympic gold, your coach would tell you in extreme detail what that road map to winning would look like. The coach would explain the relentless hours of training and the pain of pushing through your perceived physical limits. The coach would simply detail the process of achieving consistency in execution at a world-class level. Then, it would be your choice to choose the path to consistency.

Consistency is about repeatability and the achievement of incremental performance gains. In the beginning, the gains can be significant and impressive. However, at the higher levels of consistency, the gains are hard earned through continuous refinement and practice. And it is when the going gets tough that your answers to the five opening questions are put to the test. Winning your version of Olympic gold may be the ultimate prize … but achieving your personal best level of consistency is what matters most. It is also what separates those that are committed more by words, from those that are committed by deeds and hard work.

Here are some No-Compromise Leadership thoughts on choosing the path to consistency:

• It’s a timeless process: I cringe when I hear the comments about the “millennials” and how they are the entitlement generation. I agree that each generation (I’m a baby boomer) has its unique traits, but being the best at what you pursue in life is a constant and timeless process of commitment, hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. Simply put, millennials seeking Olympic gold have to choose and commit to achieving consistency, just as every Olympian before them. The same goes for building a world-class company or team. Choosing the path of consistency is the defining choice. Anything less is choosing inconsistency.
• It’s where you set the bar: You can be mentored, coached, pushed and prodded … but only you have the ability to set your consistency bar. It’s your choice to set it at wimpy, almost breaking a sweat, or at no-compromise consistency. At wimpy, the choice is inconsistency and doing enough to get by. Why even bother? At almost breaking a sweat, the choice is that average is good enough and dreams remain dreams. At no-compromise consistency, the choice is clear and the path is clear. You show up to work and play hard. You hone your skills and practice until you get it right. You push for wins. You inspire those around you to be their best. You earn every gain, every win and every success.
• It’s a discipline: At Strategies we teach and coach business owners and leaders in the disciplines of growing dynamic, profitable, team-based companies. All that means is that we teach and coach the disciplines of consistency. The discipline process of creating consistency begins with the leader and flows throughout the company. The Four Business Outcomes that we teach are discipline and consistency based. The Productivity Outcome is about systems discipline and consistent execution. The Profitability Outcome is about the disciplines and consistency of cash-flow and financial management. The Staff Retention Outcome is about the disciplines and consistency of information flow, culture building, individual and team development, and establishing trust. The Customer Loyalty Outcome is about the disciplines and consistency of executing world-class work, embracing protocols, anticipating needs, teamwork, and delivering on your company’s promise to its customers. Individual and company consistency cannot exist without discipline.
• It’s never always perfect: I always say, “If you execute something perfectly … take a picture so you’ll remember what that perfect moment looked like.” In life and business, achieving perfection is a worthy, yet preciously rare, occurrence. As I stated earlier, consistency is about repeatability and the achievement of incremental performance gains. But, in the quest for consistency, there will be setbacks, detours and breakdowns. Sometimes you or your team may be off your game. Sometimes reality throws you a curve. That’s why high levels of consistency can fluctuate at times. The only way to maintain high levels of consistency is to continuously refine your skills, techniques, systems and processes. It also means being capable of responding and adapting to changing conditions.
• It’s worth it: Consistency in individual and business performance is the foundation that success is built on. The higher your level of consistency, the more you and your company stand out from the crowd and the more control you have over your success. If you have personal goals … choose consistency. If you have a company vision, or a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), choose consistency. Anything less is a commitment to accepting and tolerating inconsistency. If you’re a No-Compromise Leader, consistency is a non-negotiable.

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Chasing Consistency

Consistency is a beautiful thing. It’s what makes great companies truly great. It’s about a company’s commitment to getting it right not just some of the time, but all of the time. Going for consistency means that, as a leader, you are prepared to do what others will not. You are prepared to do whatever it takes and define yourself as a true No-Compromise Leader.

Consistency is about the execution of work and systems to exacting standards. It’s what defines world-class service. It’s embedded in the thinking and behavior of a company’s culture. Anything less than total consistency is a compromise. But it’s the journey to consistency that most leaders underestimate in terms of degree of difficulty and time. Consistency is something a company chases for a long time, and only those committed for the long haul stand a chance of catching it.

Here are my no-compromise thoughts on chasing and catching consistency:

• It’s about absolute clarity: Getting it consistently right must be embedded in the company’s vision and what the company stands for. Consistency is the foundation for excellence. The very first tenet of No-Compromise Leadership is, “Have absolute clarity about where you’re taking the company.” Absolute clarity cannot be misinterpreted. If you’re going to chase consistency, everyone in the company must see it as a non-negotiable. No compromise.
• It’s an outcome: If you workout consistently, you will become physically fit. If you follow a diet consistently, you will lose weight. If you consistently practice time management, you will get more done in less time. Extraordinary customer service is the result of consistently working your customer service systems. Consistency is an outcome that requires discipline, tenacity, and 100% commitment. No compromise.
• It’s incremental: Consistency is not achieved with the push of a button. Consistency takes time – a lot of time. It is the end result of finely tuned systems and processes. Failures lead to breakthroughs. Incremental improvements lead to understanding and refinement. Bad habits are flushed out. Change resisters are weeded out. Momentum improves one win at a time. No compromise.
• It’s measurable: The beauty of consistency is that everything about it is measurable. Productivity, client retention, revenue gains, lower costs, profit, cash reserves, and other critical numbers all move in the right direction when consistency improves. On the flip side, this rule also applies to inconsistency. If you’re inconsistent, your company will show it.
• It’s coordinated effort: Individual consistency is one thing, but team consistency is where truly dramatic changes occur. The core of what we teach at Strategies is, “Everyone is responsible.” Consistency is a team sport where each and every individual is responsible to carry a piece of the load. No individual or department is an island or excluded. Everyone plays. Everyone pulls and pushes in the same direction. Everyone wins together or fails together. No compromise.
• It’s about pride: Think “ordinary” versus “extraordinary.” Inconsistency feeds frustration, stress, drama, and discontent in a company. Inconsistency contaminates company cultures and leaves little to celebrate or feel proud about. Consistency, on the other hand, inspires a company-wide sense of ownership and pride. Being part of something special is a privilege and something to be honored. Sense of pride solidifies and protects a company’s culture. It also attracts the best talent.
• It’s why leaders lead: Think about it. The end result of no-compromise leadership is consistency across The Four Business Outcomes: Productivity, Profitability, Staff Retention, and Customer Loyalty. Consistency in these four areas produces the ability to predict future outcomes with a high degree of accuracy. When combined, consistency and predictability allow you to accurately map your desired course in each of The Four Business Outcomes. All this adds up to the equivalent of the Holy Grail in business… sustainable quantum-leap growth.

No-compromise leadership = Consistency in all Four Business Outcomes
Consistency = Predictability
Predictability = Accurate future mapping of The Four Business Outcomes
Accurate mapping of future outcomes = Sustainable growth

Go for it.
No compromise!

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How to avoid inconsistency in the workplace

You design systems to ensure predictable outcomes. Most systems are rather straightforward, requiring employees to be aware, engaged, and paying attention. On the other hand, complex systems require intense concentration on procedures, measurements, timing, and other factors that cannot be compromised. World-class companies are defined by their consistent ability to execute their systems flawlessly. Discipline is embedded into their cultures.

When systems of any kind are compromised, inconsistent results occur. Material waste, labor cost, missed deadlines, upset customers, and stress all impedes forward progress. When inconsistencies get out of control, media coverage can do major damage to a company’s product, service, and reputation. Anyone taking a Carnival cruise anytime soon? I think not.

Here are some no-compromise strategies to purge your company of costly inconsistencies:

• Leadership allows it: I figured I would nail this one first because leaders, no matter how much they despise inconsistency, watch it occur everyday in their companies and do little or nothing to address it. Systems and standards of performance must be built on a foundation of shared accountability. Accountability is doing what needs to be done and taking ownership in the success of the company. Fact: too many leaders are uncomfortable leading with a high level of accountability. I’m not suggesting a company and its culture can’t be fun – I’m simply stating that accountability is tough work. Tony Hsieh’s book “Delivering Happiness” is his story of building Zappos’ fun culture. However, Amazon didn’t acquire Zappos in 2009 for $1.2 billion because it was all fun and no profit. Fun cultures can most certainly be accountable cultures. Leaders allow “average is good enough” in their companies.
• It’s not for everyone: Just as some leaders find leading a high accountability culture out of their comfort zone, many employees can’t deal with it either. Succeeding in a high accountability culture requires a solid work ethic and determination to excel. Sadly, there are employees that just want a job and a paycheck, and view showing up and going through the motions as good enough. Sorry but if you keep that employee on payroll, you continue to buy mediocre behavior and performance every time you hand them their paycheck. I don’t know about you, but I refuse to spend money on that kind of behavior.
• Factor of Ten: The “Factor of Ten” is my way of shining a laser beam on the importance of training and coaching your team members to master your systems and processes. You can’t hand them a manual or show them a video module and expect the level of mastery necessary to eliminate costly inconsistencies. Training and coaching is non-negotiable. Inspecting and correcting is non-negotiable. Taking personal interest in guiding employees to achieve their full potential is non-negotiable. Achieving world-class performance and status begins with world-class training and coaching. No compromise.
• Ditch the Micro: Micro-management is what inexperienced, control freak leaders do. It’s exhausting, stressful, and stifling for leaders that do it and the poor souls that try to function under it. Micro-management is a culture based on distrust and finding fault. It wears people down rather than building them up. It de-powers rather than empowers people to take responsibility and initiative. Got all that? Good. Stop micro-managing. Let go of some of the controls and see what happens. Give your people an opportunity to shine. Coach them when they make a poor decision. Celebrate them when they achieve a win.
• Your “World Class”: Define what world class means to you and your company. Engage your employees in the process so they have ownership in the definition and the outcome. Attach that to your company vision. Make it a focal point for the next six months. Talk about it. Meet about it. Have constructive dialogue about it. Begin living it.

In the end, it’s about being the best based on your own terms. No compromise.