Have you watched the FX & Hulu TV show “The Bear?” The show follows a young chef, Carmen Berzatto. Regardless of whether you’ve seen the show, you can probably relate to the stress of being a chef in a kitchen – always running behind, never having the same schedule, always something on fire… But one thing Carmen is trying to do is to instill in his team is the ability to be consistent.
If we want to improve or change our behavior and outcomes, we must start with consistency. Let’s dive deeper.
Improving Outcomes through Consistency
Consistency at its core is the ability to predict what is next – to have stability. It allows our brain to think beyond our current status and start working on future problems or opportunities.
Oftentimes, we as humans jump straight to those future problems or opportunities, without stabilizing ourselves first, and we get frustrated at our inability to make progress. But, how can you make progress without knowing where you started?
Consistency reveals our starting location before we consider the destination.
The ‘why’ of being consistent is simple: We want to operate at a higher level. So here are two ‘how’s’ for being more consistent:
Create a Consistent Team
You can’t do it all, and you aren’t the best at everything. We operate at our best, when we can trust others to do their job. We can’t improve our own work if we are focused on doing someone else’s. These are hard things to hear, especially if you have a love/hate relationship with control like me. But if we want to level up and achieve more, we have to ask others to fill in our gaps, and trust that they will (until proven otherwise).
Be Consistent in Easy Things, so You Can Do More
This is where a light bulb went on for me – improvement in one area of my life typically starts with consistency in another area. And we can cheat the system by being consistent with really simple and easy things, like making our bed in the morning. Making my bed has seemingly no impact on whether I exercise later that day, but for some reason that little win of tidying up my space moves my brain onto harder habits, like exercise or cleaning the kitchen. By being consistent in simple tasks, I’ve convinced my brain that I can be consistent elsewhere too.
Consistency Unlocks Potential
While “The Bear” is an amusing TV show, it shows the progression and impact of consistency. Mental health is one area in our lives that small habits and changes can impact our work and relationships.
How can consistency impact your work team? We are here to answer your questions and talk about how you can help them perform at their best. Reach out today!
