In their pursuit of innovation, your employees and stakeholders want clarity and consistency of values, procedures, and evaluations. They trust you to set the course and stick to it. Being flexible does not mean you change direction like a leaf in the wind.

If you’re chronically inconsistent, you’ll lose your authority. Your employees will stop being honest with you, and when you speak they’ll just nod and then go away to either do what they want to do or avoid doing anything. It’s much easier for them to smile to your face and avoid conflict. You’ll never have an accurate picture of what’s happening in your work environment.

It’s tempting to imagine inconsistency in terms of behavior that’s always bad or disrespectful, but in reality many leaders who are inconsistent swing back and forth, like a pendulum, from being nasty to nice. What often happens is that the leader will be having a bad day or be in a foul mood, and will take it out on whoever comes to his door. This undermines employee morale. Then, the next day, the inconsistent boss will think, “I was pretty rough on the team yesterday. Today I’m going to be extra nice. I may even buy extra bagels for the break room.” When leaders undermine their employees and then try to make up for it by being sugar-sweet, the inconsistent behavior creates tremendous uncertainty.

This produces three negative outcomes.

1. Employees won’t have a coherent picture of how well they’re doing at their jobs, which can be frustrating and confusing.
2. Employees will lose their sense of ownership over their work environment. They’ll become disengaged, less committed to innovation, and more likely to look for an exit.
3. Employees will doubt the quality of their relationship with their supervisor. They may become more reluctant to share negative news, such as a problem with a supplier or product, because they don’t know if the person behind the big desk will be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde.

Innovation Leaders Know…

Innovation leaders are experts in the area of consistency. There is a perfect equilibrium between what they say and what they do. This equilibrium is in fact their brand, their value, and ultimately the essence of what makes them great.

As an innovation leader, your values will never change. You may employ a variety of strategies to reach your goal, but your stakeholders will always know where you stand.

Be consistent. Even as you forge ahead with new ideas and innovations, be the Rock of Gibraltar in a swirling sea of change!