By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
A nurse leader lamented that her staff had described her on a 360-degree evaluation as “reliable and consistent.” She worried because it did not seem congruent with her goal to be viewed as transformational. Being reliable and consistent sounded dull and implied she lacked spontaneity. She did not see these descriptors of her leadership as being complimentary. I assured her that being consistent gives her leverage that some leaders don’t have. When you are consistent, it’s easier to require others to be consistent in their behavior. If you walk the talk, you can expect that others will walk the talk. Consistency builds trust. Staff should not have to worry about the “mood” of their leader. Outbursts of anger and mixed messages are morale-sapping leadership behaviors. Nurses perform best when their environments are predictable.
Consistency is a crucial component of leadership effectiveness. When a nurse leader doesn’t act or behave consistently, staff don’t know what to expect and need to prepare themselves to be able to react to a broader range of responses from the leader. This means that instead of instinctively knowing what actions to take themselves, they have to waste thought and energy waiting to see which way the wind will blow. Inconsistent leaders also often go back and revisit topics that have been previously addressed, and others thought were resolved. When leaders are consistent, staff know the expectations and don’t wait to take action in case things change. Delays due to not knowing how a leader will react can create risks, costs, and inconveniences for others.
Consistent leaders have explicit values that they believe in and demonstrate through their actions. This leader told me that her staff knows that timeliness and team backup are two values that she promotes on her team. Her staff has learned what to expect if they don’t demonstrate these values. When they are late, she told me, I will address it every time and take action if it does not improve. If I don’t see them supporting their team members, I stop them and ask why. This leader has created a robust set of shared expectations through her consistency. Being consistent doesn’t mean that she can’t change her mind about decisions. When presented with new facts, she sometimes does.
Nurse leaders must commit to consistency. While it might be easier to tell someone what they want to hear at the moment or to make exceptions to rules, this breeds distrust. When you fail to keep promises (to yourself and others), you can lose ground quickly. If inconsistent behaviors become routine, staff will wonder what is real and whether the leader is authentic. So while being described as consistent may not seem like a compliment – it is.
© emergingrnleader.com 2020
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