As Certain As Death & Taxes

"Predictability is a quality people find reassuring."

---Alistar McAlpine

One of the undeniable truths to getting ahead is to be predictable. Not boring, just predictable. When there are times of doubt, stress, uncertainty, anguish, hostility, frustration, a lack of instructions/guidelines, or even chaos--- your boss and your staff will only feel reassured IF they know what to expect from you. But how could they possibly know what you'll do or how and when you'll do it? From watching you, from listening to you, from experiencing your work. Yes, consistency is the key. No loose cannon ever won the trust or support of his/her staff by 'changing things up' every single time something went wrong.

So, one of the keys to leadership success, at any level is to be consistent-- which will lead to predictability--- which then leads to trust---which then leads to developing followers. Here are a few real-life examples:

Sonny was a manager of 25 people in a large company. He was a tough boss because he never bent the rules; he was STRICTLY by the book. Most employees don't like a boss who never waivers from the rule book, but this quality actually made Sonny a strong leader. In times of confrontation, chaos, trouble and uncertainty, Sonny always referred to the rules. If you broke a rule, you had to suffer the consequences that were outlined therein. If something happened and no one was sure what to do, Sonny conferred with the rule book, or the people who wrote the rules. He never caved one time for anyone. Each employee got whatever was coming, good or bad, based on the rules. This strategy always kept Sonny in a good light with his staff. They didn't ever see him being wishy-washy or unfair or 'soft from bending the rules'---he was consistent per policy mandates. This formal (some would say rigid) and consistent means of following policy and procedure manuals served Sonny well, for he became a VP of HR at the young age of 45.

Alfred was a new employee who was fresh out of college. He was new to the company, to the industry, and to the world of work; but he was seeking a way to fit in and hopefully make a good impression. Alfred made a great impression on his boss and everyone around him, but he didn't do it by saving the company from bankruptcy or by inventing a multi-billion-dollar product. He did it by being predictable! It was simple, whenever he was scheduled to meet with someone, he'd show up a few minutes early. Not occasionally---every time! When he had a phone meeting, he would call EXACTLY at the designated time. Not occasionally---every time! When someone gave him a deadline for a project, he would finish it a day early. Not occasionally---every time! And, whenever there was something negative happening, like gossip or making fun of the boss or stealing pencils; Alfred never participated. Never! This consistency in his behavior helped those around him feel comfortable. He was non-threatening, dependable, steady, trustworthy, reliable, honest, ethical and true. Those qualities helped Alfred climb the ladder very quickly, in fact, he became the company's youngest manager at the age of 26.

Juan had a job that included a territory of all 50 States and 5 countries. Since he traveled 4 days each week, he couldn't afford to fly any more than that, so he had to rely on phone calls and emails to get the remainder of his work done. What's interesting about Juan's job is that he actually worked with people for 10 years, and he never met them in person! He lived in Baltimore but he had colleagues in Seattle, LA, Denver, Munich---everywhere! What's even more interesting is that Juan helped his long-distance co-workers handle accounts that sometimes reached tens-of-millions-of dollars! And the problem was, he couldn't fly to see them whenever he wanted, nor could he see them when he HAD to because of conflicts and other hassles. So, Juan had to be consistent and predictable in order to develop such long-term, long-distance professional relationships. He was predictable in every action, word and thought as he helped his co-workers and customers take care of business via email and on the phone. In fact, even though folks had never met him in person, almost everyone said they felt like they knew him all of their lives. How can they feel like they've known Juan simply by working via email and the phone? By consistency and predictability. How can people trust Juan with their $20M accounts even though they have never shaken his hand or looked into the window of his soul? Consistency and predictability.

Juan found another job, but his replacement was a hot-shot who had worked with him as a consultant. Even though all of Juan's co-workers knew this hot-shot replacement, the hot-shot only lasted on the job for 1 year. Turns out the hot-shot was a fly by the seat of his pants kind of person. He was erratic in his moods. His behaviors were deliberately unpredictable (because he thought it made him more interesting), and his style of communication was very 'choppy and disconnected'---jumping from one topic to the next.

Juan is now a community college president, and the 'hot-shot' who replaced him is a mechanical engineer, working all alone in a cubical with an autoCAD program. Predictability will catapult you into leadership roles, while inconsistency will catapult you into a dark, lonely room where the only certainty is a dead-end career.