Pick up a book on leadership and you’ll find that the list of desirable traits for being a good manager is long. I’ve never met a single person who has them all. I certainly don’t.
Given the lengthy wish-list, what’s the number one trait? What’s the one thing that separates top-notch managers from the large pile of average ones?
As you’d expect, opinions differ. And that’s fine. But for me, the number one trait is:
CONSISTENCY
Now of course, being a consistent a**hole isn’t good. Nor is being consistently bad. Or consistently <insert your choice of negative trait>. So there’s an obvious caveat to my statement: you need to have a solid foundation of good values and characteristics that the consistency is built upon.
I had a bunch of different managers over the past 40 years. I remember them all. One of the best was when I was in my 20s and working in Sydney. The manager/leader in question was a calm, intelligent and somewhat introverted man. He had an aura of professionalism about him (he stood out by always being very well-dressed but not “stiff” looking) yet he was – consistently – friendly, down-to-earth and an incredible listener. Every time you bumped into him – be it in the lift, the canteen (it was a big company) or the corridors – you knew that he would greet you in a positive way. No surprises. One of the few managers I’ve had that I truly respected and admired. Consistency won it for him.
Compare that to another manager I once worked alongside. Up and down all the time. Said manager would smile and be lovely to staff one day, then incredibly moody and scream and shout at them the next day. It was a minefield for those poor employees, who ended up walking on eggshells and not bringing their best selves to work each day. Chalk and cheese.
In conclusion, while other leadership qualities are undoubtedly important, consistency remains the unsung hero of great management. It underpins trust, reliability and accountability. A consistent manager is the cornerstone of a motivated, productive, and harmonious team. Don’t be a moody Nellie, volatile, vastly different day-to-day. Be consistent in your (positive) approach and demeanour. Do that and you will empower your team to not only achieve success, but also that most elusive of things: happiness at work.
