One of my consulting clients made a statement during a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) review session:
About the author:
Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes and embracing Kaizen.
Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.
"Consistency is the key"
I agree with them. In their case, this wasn't happening at the time they made the statement. It was something they had to work towards and something that paid off for them.
What happens when you aim to be consistent?
- Standards within the business get lived up to.
- Staff know where they stand.
- Management becomes easier.
- Policies mean something.
- Incongruities evaporate.
Even better, consistency can lead to:
- Higher profits
- Happier customers
- A feeling of moving ahead with your plans.
I always tell my consulting clients that 4/5 is a pretty good place to aim for at the outset. Whilst you are working on your continuous improvements you will find obstacles in your way. Look at each obstacle and remove it. Your consistency will raise to this level if you repeat this process.
If you are thinking that managing all of your obligations is too onerous at this point in time, consider a plan B approach. Plan B, in this case, is a smaller version of your obligations. It could be:
- The five minute version of your weekly team meeting.
- The project review of the single priority project.
- The fifteen minute appraisal.
- 100 words challenge with the re-writing of a business procedure.
You get the idea. It is doing something that aligns with the routine of your business. It is not about giving up to the busy-ness of day to day life.
Using the plan B approach is to buy you some time, to demonstrate consistency to yourself and your team whilst you continue to knock out the obstacles that keep you from plan A.
I hope that you are already a master of consistency. If you aren't, see if the plan B approach can help you on that journey.
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About the author:
Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes and embracing Kaizen.
Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.