Managing Your Talents [20] - Consistency

According to Gallup, the essence of the talent theme of Consistency is the following:

Balance is important to you. You are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, no matter what their station in life, so you do not want to see the scales tipped too far in any one person’s favour. In your view this leads to selfishness and individualism. It leads to a world where some people gain an unfair advantage because of their connections or their background or their greasing of the wheels. This is truly offensive to you. You see yourself as a guardian against it. In direct contrast to this world of special favours, you believe that people function best in a consistent environment where the rules are clear and are applied to everyone equally. This is an environment where people know what is expected. It is predictable and even-handed. It is fair. Here each person has an even chance to show his or her worth.

But a talent like this on itself is quite meaningless unless you develop and manage it. That is why we believe that "a well managed talent becomes a strength, but a mismanaged talent becomes a detriment".

How do you manage the talent of Consistency?
  
This Strength of yours need things to be done according to the book. Knowing that will help you manage it.  Your talent of Consistency is acutely aware of the importance of policies, rules and procedures being applied to everyone.  This is how you view being fair - "everyone treated the same according to the rules".  You may even describe yourself as a "black-and-white" person who cannot think gray.  Cannot make exceptions.  Cannot look the other way.  This is part of your uniqueness - and often misunderstood by others as being strict, unbendable or even "cold and clinical". For them to understand you, you need first to understand your own thinking, feeling and behaving.  "According to the book". Thus, having clarity about the rules or policies is what helps this talent of yours function best at all times.  Uncertainty as to what needs to apply is something you cannot handle well.  You need certainty about the rules, and you create it.  But it needs to be managed well.

How?

Show people your human side also.  It is possible to do that without compromising your beliefs and integrity.  Make them understand that the consistent and fair execution of the rules and policies is what makes you tick.  You do not see anyone above the rules.  In that way, people can feel very safe with you....if the behave according to the rules!  People need to understand that you will not tolerate politics and favours for friends.  The sooner they understand that about you, the easier it will be for you to manage this talent in a practical way, as your energy can then be focused on what matters most, and not on trying to show people that you actually mean well.

You have an important strength. But there are others who see things differently. Accept and respect that fact!  You bring something to the table that is precious - factual fairness.  But, you need also to understand that there are other talents that brings a total different perspective to a situation than yours do - and that is not wrong!  For instance, the talent of Individualization have a very hard time to treat everyone the same according to the rules.  They see specific needs and context. Just as you bring a clinical clarity towards the consistent application of the rules, others bring a sense of circumstance that warrants a specific context - and even sometimes that one thing you find hard to accept:  the exception to the rule!   But, it is a reality that exception and special situations does exist.  And you need to manage your strength of Consistency not to feel devalued or even betrayed when such a situation occurs.

How?

Accept that the world is not simply black and white.  There are a lot of grey, and even colours everywhere.  In specific situations you need to stand your ground with the strength that your consistency provides.  But, you also need to know that backing off does not mean that you "look the other way" or sacrifice integrity.  It simply means that people cannot always be treated according to the rules, policies or procedures.  I know it hurts you to even read these words.  But, it is true.  Let other talents sometimes guide you to find another angle and approach to a specific situation.

Apply your talent of Consistency in the right roles and places, and it will thrive!!  Your  Consistency talent needs to be applied in a role or place where it is acknowledged to serve best.  If you can find this arena or role for it, you will be very energized and motivated to see it fly!  No talent must be suppressed.  Managing a talent does not mean undervaluing it.  It simply means you apply it where it fits best!

How?

Find that sweet spot in your job. career, parenting, relationships and life where your Consistency can be free to fly and be celebrated.  Maybe you already have that place or role.  That is great then!  But if not, you will feel the need to show the Consistent behaviour and emotions in contexts and situations where it does not always fit.  And that will frustrate you immensely!  So, the right spaces and places where your Consistency talent can thrive is crucial for it not to become a detriment to you and others.


Go on.  Let it fly!

- by Dries Lombaard, founder and owner of Africanmosaic and TALENTmosaic.

Important note when reading this: in this series, I simply focus on the specific talent in isolation. I do not take the crucial element of Talent Dynamics (two or more talent themes combining) into consideration. This is very important as any Coach should take that into consideration when coaching people in their talents. But you need to understand the challenges that the talent theme on its own might hold. Therefor the challenges in managing the talent as explained below might not be applicable to everyone, as the dynamics with some of their other talent themes might override the specific challenge and "make up for it". But, knowledge of the most common management challenges in every talent theme still is crucial in talent development and when turning the talent into a strength.  All information is my own, acquired by years of Strengths Coaching experience, and not verified or scientifically tested by Gallup. The definition at the beginning is the intellectual property of Gallup, and well researched.