This week, my comments are coming from Paco in Gaithersburg, MD his service is transportation. He quoted the famous Oscar Wilde: “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative”. Then Paco asked me: "So what do you think if that?" and I replied …"That’s an amazing quote from a man who consistently did one thing for most of his all too short life…he was a writer, and he wrote, and wrote and wrote....and consistently she wrote.
So if anyone thinks I’ll refrain or temper my encouragement towards being consistent…well, that's not going to happen.
By now, you know I’ve built my database fitness program on the steps taken for physical fitness and every day I’m more and more fascinated by the similarities between the challenges of staying physically fit and keeping your database fit.
As a business consultant and coach, many times I set goals and milestones with my clients… if you've ever watched one of TV shows , that help people lose weight and get fit…then you know it never fails ....that when the going gets tough the complaints start compiling.
It’s just the same with database fitness. I hear my clients saying things like: “I’m wearing too many hats...I can't get all of this done!!!” or “I’m doing the best I can here!” or “I’m working as hard as I can”, or worse ….they start avoiding my calls, skipping appointments and even stop responding to my emails.
Well here’s the deal…consistency brings results. Concentrating on a very important task and never giving up on it will result in success and it will take you in the right direction. Will that bring you all of the success you’d hoped for? I don’t know, but I do know that consistency will bring you success that inconsistency will not.
So what can you do to motivate your power of consistency? Take a look at this very insightful article from
ERIC V. HOLTZCLAW is a serial entrepreneur who has founded multiple start-up companies,
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?
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.
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 a 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.
When something doesn't work, I look back at what happened and ask some serious questions. Did we shift gears too quickly? Did part of the team not deliver on a commitment? Or was the expected outcome off base from the start? Most of the time, the reason tracks back to lack of consistency.
Connect with me and together we can develop a system that will allow you to clearly measure and manage your ability to be more consistent in your business practices.
So if anyone thinks I’ll refrain or temper my encouragement towards being consistent…well, that's not going to happen.
By now, you know I’ve built my database fitness program on the steps taken for physical fitness and every day I’m more and more fascinated by the similarities between the challenges of staying physically fit and keeping your database fit.
As a business consultant and coach, many times I set goals and milestones with my clients… if you've ever watched one of TV shows , that help people lose weight and get fit…then you know it never fails ....that when the going gets tough the complaints start compiling.
It’s just the same with database fitness. I hear my clients saying things like: “I’m wearing too many hats...I can't get all of this done!!!” or “I’m doing the best I can here!” or “I’m working as hard as I can”, or worse ….they start avoiding my calls, skipping appointments and even stop responding to my emails.
Well here’s the deal…consistency brings results. Concentrating on a very important task and never giving up on it will result in success and it will take you in the right direction. Will that bring you all of the success you’d hoped for? I don’t know, but I do know that consistency will bring you success that inconsistency will not.
So what can you do to motivate your power of consistency? Take a look at this very insightful article from
ERIC V. HOLTZCLAW is a serial entrepreneur who has founded multiple start-up companies,
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?
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.
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 a 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.
When something doesn't work, I look back at what happened and ask some serious questions. Did we shift gears too quickly? Did part of the team not deliver on a commitment? Or was the expected outcome off base from the start? Most of the time, the reason tracks back to lack of consistency.
Connect with me and together we can develop a system that will allow you to clearly measure and manage your ability to be more consistent in your business practices.
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