Repeatable Process: the Master Key to Unshakable Consistency

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."—Aristotle 

Many people think that extra-ordinary performances require only making colossal efforts whenever they are in the mood of great motivation and vigour. However, really great people adopt a different {though seemingly ordinary} strategy towards gaining preeminence. This simple but powerful strategy is what today’s article is centered upon. 

With “Little by little does the trick.” the Greek fabulist, Aesop explained in fewer words what the Greek philosopher, Aristotle meant when he said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Clearly, since excellence is largely about habit, rather than intensity, what the greats wisely do is to design a few living fundamentals and then commit to them habitually; instead of relying on the fickle resource of willpower for the accomplishment of their big business and personal goals.

This powerful lesson is what the author, Joe Calloway has to teach us as the key difference between the commonplace and the extra-ordinary, in his studies of companies’ habits over the years. He wrote in his book, “Work Like You Are Showing-Off” as follows:

“Perhaps the most striking lesson I learned in researching indispensable companies is that they have a firm grasp on some seemingly obvious but often overlooked factors in business.

Being accessible to customers and giving them what they want, the way they want it, when they want it is a matter of design, not luck. It’s also a matter of every employee having a constant, unwavering focus on the customer.

Here’s the key: repeatable process. This is the missing link between intention and reality. With a repeatable process, you can achieve the brand strength that comes only from consistency.”

You see, the main difference between indispensable companies and the average companies is neither assets nor great wealth. But it is first about having a fundamental process that is repeatable and sustainable; and second, the commitment to executing by that process indefinitely.  

Lead performers in every business are far more consistent than their competition because they have designed a system of fundamentals that is simple and sustainable for their business. And they all commit to their own process firmly and tenaciously. This is why the American author of self-help, Robert Collier also declared that, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.”

Now let’s look at the practical application of this simple idea in day to day life.

Practical Application to Our Lives

Whether you are running a business or just going about your business of living, design a repeatable process of your essentials first, then decide to commit to your designed process, all the way: This is the principal key to unshakable consistency.

For example….

If you really want fitness and strength, first design a repeatable number of essential exercises and then commit to them regularly.

If you want a successful sales career, first design a fixed number of sales calls, and then commit to making that number every working day.

If you desire knowledge and scholarship, first design studying a particular number of pages per day and then commit to your number every single day.

On this point, the leadership expert, John C. Maxwell once said: “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” And Harvard researcher Teresa Amabile agreed with John when her research revealed that the single most powerful incentive to work was small, daily progress. So the key here is to first design your daily process and then commit to it sincerely. And the satisfaction from the daily repetition will continue to fuel your commitment to the process indefinitely.

Indispensable companies have built the habit of high performance by the fundamentals they work with every day.  Their few but profound fundamentals determine what they do most of the time. And it is relatively easy for them to do because they thoroughly understand that repeatable process is the master key to unshakable consistency. Such a radical understanding of the repeatability idea is perhaps the overriding secret of all viable entities.

Finally, I don’t think any sane person will deny the supremacy of consistency. And the American football coach and administrator, Jim Tressel has spoken the inarguable truth on this when he mentioned that: “The hallmark of excellence, the test of greatness, is consistency.” So my writing on repeatability is to illustrate that manageable, meaningfully designed essential behaviour is better in effectiveness and a lot more sustainable at the end of the day than all volumes of momentary intensity.