LTL 140: Consistency Revisited And The Difficulty Of Things Worthwhile

I know this happens to you at times. You hear something, and then you hear it multiple times and all of a sudden, you recognize that you need to sit up and pay attention! That happened to me recently. It started with a simple reminder: consistency is foundational to our effectiveness. But it didn't end there – I heard it multiple times in a matter of a couple of days. I knew it was time that we revisited the topic of consistency together. And it wasn't just consistency. It was connected to the difficulty of things worthwhile.

Consistency: Critical Trait For Great Leaders

Here's my fear and I know it's a bit irrational. My fear is that once I dedicate an episode or two to a specific topic, I fear that you might tire of hearing it again. Truly, I've got a special place in my heart for consistency. I know how important this trait is in great leaders.

I dedicated a couple of episodes to it: LTL 052: Why Consistency Is King and LTL 087: The 180-Degree Leader And The Power Of Consistency were released in 2018. Both more than a year ago.

But you heard me say recently that a message has to be repeated as many as nine times for it to take hold and make a difference. And I heard this point about consistency no less than four times 48 hours along with another critical point: John Maxwell recently said on his podcast that everything worthwhile is uphill. There are no shortcuts or easy paths to things we currently, or eventually will come to, cherish.

So, because this topic is super important, I'm going to spend a few minutes unloading a massive amount of value in a short period of time.

Don't worry – all of this is in the show notes and you'll be able to check it out on markslemons.com. Don't try to write it down. Today, I want you to think about the words I'm saying. And then I want you to think about what it means to put them into practice in your life. I want you to visualize implementing what you are hearing/learning. Some of this is not new, but all of it will change your life if implemented.

Make Sure You Are Repeating Right Actions

First, what do you think of when I say consistency? You can be consistently bad at something and it will likely wreck your results. To clarify, doing the same thing over and over doesn't produce great results when it's the wrong thing over and over. Aristotle said, "…virtues are formed in man by his doing the right actions." Our success is based on establishing a regular routine of practicing our habits…specifically, the good habits.

Eric Holtzclaw wrote an article for Inc. back in 2012 where he formed five rules around consistency. His first rule? Measure the results. Is what you're doing consistently moving the needle?

Measure Results

Don't judge it too early or too late. He recommends waiting for at least six months to evaluate the effectiveness of your habit. Sometimes it's a matter of making simple changes versus a complex overhaul.

Maybe what you are doing only requires a slight modification. Consistency rewards patience, so don't be too hasty with your changes. Small changes can often bring big rewards.

Be Accountable

Next, Eric advises that you be accountable. Often, it's difficult to measure effective accountability. So an example here might be helpful. Brendon Burchard says that part of being accountable is having clarity. You establish clarity. The most successful leaders seek clarity for everything they do.

If you tell your team that you are going to run effective meetings, then be accountable to that goal. One way you can do this is to make sure that you bring clarity to every meeting you attend. Whether you initiated it or not! You make sure that everyone understands the purpose, the intention, the aim, the goal, and/or the desired outcome. If it doesn't exist, then the meeting adjourns until you can define clarity.

Consistency With Clarity

Consistency in this regard will make it clearly obvious when clarity is absent. Everyone will see it. If you want accountability, then make everyone who sees it accountable to say it when they see it. Not just with you, but with each other.

Brendon says that this level of clarity is required not only in meetings but in every act of a leader's day. The most successful leaders are those who have clarity for each moment. Are you demonstrating consistency in developing clarity? For everything you do? Every day?

Surprisingly, this was new to me. As a result,