Leaders unknowingly destroy trust, undermine productivity, increase employee stress, and decrease engagement through inconsistent behaviors and practices. Substitute the word “leader” for salesperson, administrator, teacher, coach or parent, and the statement still rings true.
Recent research even suggests employees prefer a supervisor who consistently acts like a jerk rather than an unpredictable one who wavers between fairness and unfairness. Turns out erratic supervisors create higher levels of physiological stress in their employees than those who were treated poorly with consistency. Emotional exhaustion occurs when employees walk around on eggshells trying to second-guess how another will act or react to the same situation.
Perhaps you’ve witnessed a supervisor who ignores one employee’s late arrival while another gets reprimanded. Or, a high-producing salesperson who often gets a pass for not attending the mandatory Friday meeting. These examples increase conflict and decrease motivation amongst the team. If you can’t trust your fearless leader to play fair, rather than playing favorites, staying loyal and engaged becomes impossible.
How leaders can up their consistency quotient:
What strategies do you employ to remain consistent with those you lead?
