Tag: Consistency

A Leader Worth Following

As leaders, several questions are important to consider regarding principles.

1) Why should we have principles to govern behavior?
2) What rule or belief governs our personal behavior?
3) Do we have a rule or belief in place for this purpose?
4) Are these rules or beliefs based on humanistic or biblical foundations?
5) Will others see consistency between our principles and behavior?

A life lived by biblical principles will always influence others. Consistently living by our principles directly connects to the integrity needed for powerful leadership.

When leaders answer these questions in relationship to principles and behavior, the steps to harmonize them develops a leader worth following.

A True Leader

Douglas MacArthur was known for his leadership, especially during the time of World War II.

He once said, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.”

Leaders need confidence in God and His power that works within us.
Leaders must choose courage when needed most.
Leaders must demonstrate the Christlike quality of compassion.
Leaders must be characterized by consistency.
Leaders must learn to walk with integrity.

Confident Character

Confidence is connected to both the words and actions of an individual. Thus, there must also be a strong consistency in one’s character.

The lesson for leaders is nothing new.

For leaders to build the type of relationship with followers where trust exists, their character must be defined by consistency, which lays the foundation for their confidence.

This may be one of the truest approaches to defining integrity for spiritual leaders.

Leaders need to position their words and actions in such a way that their leadership portrays the confidence of someone whose life is consistent.

Consistency

We’ve all heard “actions speak louder than words,” or “a picture paints a thousands words.” Then, there is the old classic, “I’d rather see a sermon as hear one any day.”

The ideas emphasize the need for consistency in life’s daily activities. People watch everything we do and listen to everything we say. Do they see inconsistencies?

Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying, “”Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

At times, it’s hard to remember that neither our intentions or words determine who we are, but our actions. People judge our actions!

Uniformity

The power of uniformity is based on the development of consistency, invariability, stability, and the regularity that characterizes leadership.

These four words are the defining qualities of uniformity.

Consistency must be lived according to the message believed and proclaimed.

No matter what the cost, invariably, leaders must show up.

Followers need leaders with stability, which provides them with security.

Regularity is fixed and unchanging, without varying.

Uniformity is critical in leading as God desires. While there may be challenges to the development and fulfillment of these qualities, when we practice them, our leadership grows stronger and lasts longer.

Consistency

Leaders need to be consistent in every area of life.

When there is a purpose that drives our life, we then align our words and actions with that purpose.

From this point, we develop greater consistency because there is a purpose behind our thoughts, which become our words, which influence our actions.

In our homes, neighborhood, on our jobs, or anywhere we go, people recognize consistency.

Consider the definition: “An attribute of a logical system that is so constituted that none of the propositions deducible from the axioms contradict one another.”

I thought you might like to ponder that thought for a while 🙂

Values

Leadership is built upon values. Write them down. Review them daily. Keep them timeless.

The benefit comes through evaluating our actions with our values. We ensure a consistency of life when we align the conduct of our life with our values.

When one becomes a Christian, worldly values change to godly ones. Thoughts, words, and actions become more consistent with these new values.

Is it easy? No! However, the effort makes all the difference in our influence.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most urgent question is what are you doing for others?” It is worth the time to contemplate this thought when establishing our values.

People are Watching

Remember that “People are always watching.” Children watch their parents. Employers watch their employees. The community watches all of us. Everywhere, people are watching.

They also listen. They listen to our words and watch our behavior to see if they are consistent with what we profess.

Nothing is more damaging to our influence than hypocrisy and nothing more convincing than consistency. Jesus spoke of the need to avoid hypocrisy in prayer, acts of kindness, and fasting.

No other gospel handles hypocrisy like Matthew. The take-away is to know that people are always watching, which emphasizes the need to be consistent with our words and actions.

Change in Leadership

The general mindset of leadership is about changing others. After all, spiritually speaking, we are leading, right? The purpose of our leadership is changing others, right? Are we not supposed to change others?

However, before we can change others we must first change ourselves. It is easy to ask others to do what we are either unwilling to do or have not done yet.

The power of change, however, begins with us. When we make changes in our own lives first, then we are setting an example for others to see why they should change also.

When leaders provide the example, then consistency is the model.

Congruence

Congruence: Compatibility, agreement, balance, and consistency.

Compatibility promotes working together without conflict. This doesn’t mean problems or disagreements go away, but avoiding the destructive nature of conflict builds congruence.

Agreement is shared by leaders when the foundation upon which decisions are made comes from a common standard. Pride, opinion, and agenda driven approaches destroy congruence.

Balance is one of the most important words in leadership. Leaning to the left or the right creates the potential of moving away from the foundation that provides balance for leadership congruence.

Consistency is a virtue. Inconsistency promotes hypocrisy that attacks the congruence leaders need to help others reach the goal(s).