I was hosting a leadership development program for emerging leaders earlier this week. Part of that program included an executive panel Q&A, where this question came up: What are some of the most important traits you look for in emerging leaders? The usual suspects appeared: curiosity, bias for action, willingness to step in, desire to coach and help peers, and initiative. But then at the end, almost as an afterthought, someone said, “I really do think consistency is one of the most overlooked skills for new leaders."

Everyone likes to applaud the top performers, but any leader will tell you the most valuable employee is the one who shows up every day. When I was working as a front-line warehouse supervisor, I had countless employees whom I relied on to show up each day. I knew they were going to be there when I was making the schedule and deciding work assignments. They made my job easier. The same mindset applies to employees when they have a consistent leader.

Consistency from a leader makes an employee’s job easier. They don’t have to spend mental energy guessing about what their leader expects or how their leader will support them. They know who their leader is, how they show up each day, and what type of support they can expect to get from them. This clarity is huge for employees. It gives them a chance to focus on their work and not spend energy worrying about the relationship they have with their boss.

A study by Choi et al. (2020) found that behavioral integrity reduces uncertainty and that employees seek consistency of supervisory behaviors. There’s a genuine need for consistency from your employees. They seek consistency, and leaders who are aware of this and provide it can help their employees by creating a better environment. An environment that, according to Choi et al. (2020), reduces the stress employees may feel from relational uncertainty in the workplace. Consistency isn’t easy. It requires effort, but no additional skills. Your effort can directly increase the impact your leadership has on your employees. All it takes is your willingness to commit to being a consistent leader.

I often overlooked my consistent front-line employees when I was in the warehouse. I took them for granted. And it definitely got me thinking about the role of consistency. Consistent performers are better than sporadic performers, even if the sporadic performers have better individual days from time to time. There’s value in showing up and doing your job well each day. The best leaders are often the ones who focus on showing up for their team, not the ones who show up to make a name for themselves and work on their next promotion.

Think about your own leadership approach or your own approach to any role you have in life.

Do you show up consistently?

Do you give your best effort each day?

Can people rely on you?

The most overlooked leadership skill might also be the simplest one to start.

Until next time,

Rick

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