“Our value as leaders hinges greatly on our ability to be consistent in our lives and leadership. It’s vitally important that we prove to ourselves, the people who lead us, and the people we lead that we are consistent people and leaders. We’re valuable as pictures of consistency, when we become unreliable, though, we lose much of our value to the people we lead and the organizations we serve.” – Next Up: 8 Shifts Great Young Leaders Make
We’ve come to the place, many of us, where we’re happy with getting something done once or with just half heartedly leading. Sure, we won’t admit it, but many of us lead daily from a place of “just getting it done.” I understand that feeling. I know that some of us have so many things going on that just getting it done can be an accomplishment. Great leaders, however, rise above “just getting it done” and become people that do it (or get it done) with consistent excellence.
Consistency is the glue that holds leadership together. The people that you lead, whether a church, a non-profit, a staff, a business, or a family, need to see that you’re committed enough to them and the vision to not just get it done, but do it consistently well. That’s where steps are made toward change and lasting change for your organization.
We can all do something once. We can all go to the gym on January 1, the people that see change, though, are the ones that go consistently and see transformation in their bodies on April 1, after they’ve been committed to consistency.
How do we become consistent? It certainly starts with a conviction that the vision is worth the pain of establishing habits consistently. We then have to understand that as leaders we’re being watched. We have to set the example and be driven to do it well.
As a leader, evaluate yourself. Look to see if your life is consistent – If your leadership is consistent. If you’re consistently putting things into place to raise the bar.
That’s the only way you’ll see lasting change in the people and organization you lead.
This is part one of a 5-part blog series for young leaders. To read the full series:
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Jonathan Pearson is a Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church. He is author of Next Up: 8 Shifts Great Young Leaders Make.
To read more about shifts great young leaders make, pick up Jonathan Pearson’s book here.