Here's One Sure Thing if you’re Unpredictable

We all rely on our leaders for certain sense of stability. It may not be fair, but it's unavoidable. Leaders who are not predictable in their behaviors, mood or decision-making cannot sustain followers over the long-term.

Maybe that's why they say it's lonely at the top. Being unpredictable alienates people in managerial positions. Lonely at the top means at the top of the organizational chart. That's not to be confused with leadership which can happen at any level.

To be a leader, you need people who will choose to follow you. Think about the people you have followed. One thing you can say with some degree of certainty is this: That leader was predictable in ways that mattered.

I once had a manager who had all the makings of a good leader. She was smart, inspiring, competent, and a good teacher. But I did not want to work for her because she was so moody. From one day to the next, it was as if we all held our breath waiting to see which one of her would walk in the door.

Her moods made everyone feel shaky. We walked on egg shells. When she was in a good mood, we all clamored to spend time with her and to get her input. But as soon as the mood shifted, we scattered. No one wanted to be in her path when something had upset her.

Sometimes, there were moments when I needed real leadership. But she was unavailable to me because her mood was such a strong barrier. Eventually, I chose to work for someone else. I wasn't the only one. When leaders have no followers, they lose their leadership presence and credibility.

Leaders must also be predictable and the way they make decisions. Make no mistake – this is not to say that a leader should make every decision as if by rote. Instead, what a leader values and the process a leader uses must be consistent. Leaders who seem to make decisions randomly or those who seem to favor certain people in their decision making will be soon labeled as unfair.

No one wants to follow a person who doesn't exhibit fairness. To make decisions that are predictable, a leader must communicate what will go into the decision. The criteria from one decision to the next should be fairly consistent. The values that drive the leader’s decision making should be apparent. This is about a leader standing for something. Others should be able to recognize through the leader’s actions what the leader stands for.

A leader's behaviors should also be predictable. The leader should not exhibit wildly different personalities depending on whom is in the room. A leader should be consistent in interactions with direct reports, his or her own manager, customers and others outside the workplace. A leader who has adopted a false persona will soon be found out.

The behaviors of a leader should also be consistent with the leader’s values. It ought to be possible to look at a leader’s calendar, choices for recreational activities, and amount of time spent with various people. With just a glance, anyone should be able to tell what it is the leader cares about and what the leader values.

This should not change without a leader conveying what is new or different. Because others follow the person leading, they are entitled to have expectations for consistency and predictability in these ways. The leader who fails to be predictable is a leader who will not be followed.

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