Be Consistent or Go Home

One of the biggest critiques of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is each time he makes a ruling there is no consistency with any of his prior rulings. The lack of consistency promotes the notion that Goodell shows favoritism to his favorite owners or teams. Having self-discipline requires being consistent in everything you do as a leader.  Every action or reaction must fall in line with a common thread of past decisions.  Once you break the consistency wall or once you show favoritism, your ability to lead anyone is gone.  And the worst part is that you can never get it back.  Don’t take our word for it, read what Sir Alex Ferguson the great Manchester United said on the subject:

According to Sir Alex, true leaders must possess several key attributes. “You have to have a strong personality when you’re leading people,” he said, “And I’ve got a pretty strong personality.” He admits he was a “ruthless” leader and a “dinosaur” but says that a “strong personality and consistency are critical to success.”

Self assurance is also a crucial leadership trait, he added. “I never doubted myself,” he said. “Even in the dark days when I first joined Manchester United, I knew that what I was doing was completely right.” His strategy was to focus on finding and developing young players, ensuring a steady pipeline of talent for the first team. “Managers usually only think about building the first team,” he said. “I felt that I had to build a football club.”

All people want is someone to be consistent, never have two sets of rules, and be willing to discipline your best player.  No one is more important than the culture of the team.  When it comes to maintaining the right discipline in the culture, no one, and I mean no one can cross the line without paying the penalty.  Once you have two or three sets of rules, then you don’t have a culture, you have a social club. 

Consistency, staying true to your self, being willing to make hard decisions are all vital towards having the self-discipline to lead.  If you want to be loved, don’t be a leader.   

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