We often hear stories of one bad month wiping out two good months, one bad hiring decision unravelling a team or one bad customer experience leading to the end of a previously good relationship. These common issues are often caused by a lack of consistency - a major factor in the success or failure of a business. The only way to ensure consistency is to actively plan towards it and give your business sufficient time and resources while it is 'learning' to be consistent.

You may be aware of a model called the 'Four Stages of Learning'. Here's an analogy which explains it in simple terms. Long before you learned to drive, there was a time when you didn’t know you needed to learn the skill of driving. This stage is called Unconscious Incompetence. Then one day you realised you needed the skill and that you didn't have it. This is stage two – Conscious Incompetence. As you are learning to drive, you are gaining the skill but are very conscious about it e.g. you have to think about changing gears, your position on the road etc. – this stage is Conscious Competence. These days, driving is something you can just do without giving it any thought. You now feel comfortable talking, thinking about other things and listening to the radio while driving. This is called Unconscious Competence.

So what’s that got to do with business? Well if you think about it, businesses also need to learn. Your business needs to be skilled in hiring staff, providing service, marketing, selling etc. Successful businesses (and their managers and staff) are those that are Unconsciously Competent in key areas which comes only with experience gained over time.

The key is to allow your business sufficient time to develop in key areas. For the business owner, this means setting well thought out strategies, letting them run their course, measuring appropriately and avoiding reactive decisions. By forcing your business to become unconsciously competent in key areas, you are one step closer to achieving consistency across your business. i.e. your business can accomplish it’s goals regularly without giving constant attention to day to day activity.

Speak to a Business Coach today about how you can create consistency in your business. Click Here and we will contact you within 1 business day.