Walk the Talk

Walk the Walk or Walk the Talk to be consistent to your words with actions marking to your throw. In my experience, consistency is a must as you build and grow. Throughout my career, I've strived to stay consistent about consistency. Even the best business plans will fail without a dedication to consistency. 

Ethics are supposed to shape your ways of moral living, and to do that, you must have logical rationalizations. This means, there cannot be contradictions present in any regard. 

 How do you measure effectiveness if what you are measuring isn't performed consistently?

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.

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.

If you want to be consistent, you’ll need to choose your battles wisely. If you have too many rules or too many consequences, it’s impossible to keep it all straight. It’s easier to be consistent when you have a clear plan. Establish house rules so that you can consistently respond to unacceptable behavior. A written list of rules ensures that what is expected of them.

We live in unpredictable and uncertain times. When people go to work they want as much certainty as they can get. People worry that they are going to lose their jobs, or have hours cut. If we can have work be as consistent and predictable as possible then they appreciate it more.

The most important and overlooked characteristic a good leader to lead by example must have is consistency.