Have you ever wondered how some people are able to achieve massive amounts of success in their field of endeavor, while others work just as hard but achieve very little?
It could be said that those who achieve high levels of success are simply more intelligent, or maybe more ambitious, or maybe more persistent, or possibly just luckier than the people in the second group. These are of course all key factors that certainly can help people achieve their goals. However, there is just one ingredient that goes into success that is more important than anything else. And that ingredient comes in the form of consistency.
Having a consistent, high standard of performance is often more important than your skills and can be the defining factor between failure and success. Your consistency is a critical trait to help advance yourself professionally and will exponentially increases your chances of receiving raises, bonuses and more opportunities. Without a commitment to consistency, you can have the best strategies or the most talent and still not accomplish your intended results. The people in your life want to depend on you, and if they can not, this uncertainty will likely lead to missed opportunities and failing to reach your full potential.
In my experience, consistency is a must as you build and grow your business.
Here’s why:
1. Consistency allows for measurement.
Until you have tried something new for a period of time and in a consistent manner, you can’t decide if it works or not. How do you measure effectiveness if what you are measuring isn’t performed consistently?
I typically give new initiatives, processes, and organizational structures at least six months before judging them a success or failure. It’s often minor tweaking instead of major overhauls that make the difference.
2. Consistency creates accountability.
I ask my employees to be accountable for their deliverables and goals. They should expect the same in return from my leadership. I put a priority on making time for and being available to my team. I work to establish consistent and recurring meetings when a project or aspect of the business requires attention.
The simple fact that there is a set time to report on progress is often the catalyst that moves an initiative along to a successful end.
3. Consistency establishes your reputation.
Business growth requires a track record of success. You can’t establish a track record if you are constantly shifting gears or trying new tactics. Many efforts fail before they get to the finish line, but not because the tactic was flawed or goals weren’t clear. The problem is often that the team simply didn’t stay the course to achieve the objective.
4. Consistency makes you relevant.
Your employees and your customers need a predictable flow of information from you. All too often I see businesses, both small and large, adopt a campaign or initiative only to end it before it gains traction. It’s effective to run many advertisements, numerous blog entries, weekly newsletters, or continual process changes throughout the year.
5. Consistency maintains your message.
Your team pays as much or more attention to what you do as to what you say. Consistency in your leadership serves as a model for how they will behave. If you treat a meeting as unimportant, don’t be surprised when you find they are doing the same to fellow teammates or even customers.
Here are tips to establish consistency in your life
Tip 1: Perseverance and discipline
Maintaining a commitment and pushing yourself through barriers and setbacks will help establish discipline and the habit of consistency. Developing discipline and resolve will help your consistency when things get difficult.
Tip 2: Set high standards and expectations
Setting high standards will give you a clear picture of what you expect from yourself. Once you clearly define your expectations and establish a predictable level of performance, you will do what it takes to live up to your standards. You will establish habits and a mindset for consistency.
Tip 3: Focus
Learning to focus on the right things is critical for maintaining a consistent level of performance. To make consistent progress, you have to take specific actions that align with your goal. You should be aware of the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, that states roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. If your focus is scattered on too many things, you can be a hard worker and still struggle maintaining consistency and a high level of performance. You need to consistently focus on the right things.
Tip 4: Values
If you place a high value on being consistent, you will see this manifests itself in your actions. Values can be a strong driving force to direct your focus, decisions, and actions. Therefore, if you are not happy with your results, you should evaluate your actions and become consistent with prioritizing your values.
Tip 5: Establish an identity
Establishing an identity can make your commitment to consistency easier. You can make a choice that you are a person that is consistent and people can depend on you. Consistency is a choice and you can decide to have this characteristic or not.
Tip 6: Set goals
Setting a goal is an excellent strategy to establish a vision and organize your resources. To achieve your goals, it is important to establish consistent patterns and a commitment to your daily rituals. Too many people fall short on their goals due to the lack of commitment and consistency. If you know of a person that always accomplishes their goals, you will likely see a very consistent and regimented routine. Making consistent and marginal improvement will keep you moving forward to accomplishing your goals.
Tip 7: Establish good habits.
Establishing consistent patterns and specific habits are the keys to see continuous progress in life. Your daily agenda is important to accomplish your goals and you can use habits to help establish patterns and free up mental energy. Developing good habits will create an automatic routine and this starts by understanding the habit loop: set up a cue that triggers the pattern, which gives you a reward.
Tip 8: Understand your purpose and maintain your passion
Humans are more willing to work through struggles when they clearly understand the purpose and are passionate about what they are doing. When you remind yourself of why you are doing something, you will appreciate the journey and find it easier to maintain a consistent effort, even when things get tough.
Tip 9: Be patient
It is important to give your objective enough time before judging it as a success or failure. If you are constantly changing your focus or direction, you might not be giving your objective the attention or time it needs to succeed. Setting a realistic time-frame will help you eliminate feeling overwhelmed or giving up. Avoiding these negative emotions can help you maintain a consistent effort.
Final thoughts:
Whenever you start a task and the initial excitement wears off, you and the world will now find out how committed you are to your goals. Your resolve will often be tested and giving up can enter into your thoughts. As John C. Maxwell states, “The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda”. To reach your full potential, establishing consistent daily rituals will define your destiny. Consistency is a necessary ingredient in success and most people do not appreciate its true power.
