Does your team need the strength of Consistency?

It’s placed in the leadership domain of the executing strengths.  We know that consistency ranks 26 out of the 34 talent themes in frequency.  Gallup defines Consistency as people who are especially talented in being aware of the need to treat people the same.  They seek to treat everyone in the world with a sense of consistency and fairness setting up clear rules and adhering to them.

Consistency is in my wife’s top five talent themes and I think it’s interesting that it not only treats people fairly but she creates systems and rules in the work environment, to help the team get things done.  That’s the belief behind Consistency. In fact it’s most likely paired with Harmony at .57 percent.  It’s least likely paired with Command or Self-Assurance at .01 percent.

Efficiency of practices

People with consistency are looking for efficiency of practices.  They’re good at suggesting a standard operating procedure.  They tend to resist customization.  They’re a standardizer.  They’re a referee.  They know how to enforce the rules in an equitable way.  They’re fair, they level the playing ground.  They can be somewhat predictable because you know where they’re coming from, and they are not necessarily that moody.  They’re good at solving problems, at creating policies.  They’re good at making sure that the environment is just for all.

From the balcony perspective people with Consistency might make a great office manager.  Or maybe a person helping her family stay connected and running smoothly. My wife happens to be amazing in both with her Consistency.

The barrier of consistency

Now the barrier of consistency can sometime appear that rules take preeminence over relationships and results.

So in other words they may go by the book literally, maybe a little more inflexible or unwilling to change things up.  This is the person who appreciates the beauty and the efficiency of a consistent golf swing.  They’re more interested in the needs of a group than they are the individual wants.  They reduce the variance and increase the uniformity of a group of people.  They bring us rules and policies. They promote a cultural predictability that we all need to flow consistently and smoothly.

The strength of consistency

What does the Consistency strength value?  There’s this positive value of repeating things in the exact same way.  It sounds similar to the strengths of Discipline.  Efficiency is the key.  So if Consistency says treating people similarly promotes fairness then the strength of Individualization, the opposite, would say people differently promotes fairness.  Consistency might say I like merry go rounds but the Adaptability strength would say I like roller coasters.

Interestingly in my wife, she has consistency and adaptability together in her top five so there is that part of her that likes this merry go round consistent way of living but there is that part of her that is adaptable to the ups and downs; being in the moment responding to the needs of people.

Suitable roles

People with consistency might do well finding roles in which they enforce compliance or to help set standards.  They help grease the wheels of an organization so that people are flowing together efficiently.

It may be important to a person with Consistency to have an environment that’s consistent.  They need a predictable environment where they can depend on unchanging rules.

A person with Consistency may need help keeping focus on performance.  Occasionally Consistency might lead you to overemphasize how someone gets work done and ignore what gets done.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sums up Consistency saying, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.  We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”

About the author: Brent O’Bannon coaches individuals, teams, and organizations as  the first GALLUP Certified Strengths Coach in the world.  He is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author and you can learn more at brentobannon.com.

 

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