The impact of small, consistent efforts

up every day SHOWING to do an assignment that does not give you the results you desire is not easy.

Iremember when I started my first business some years back, I went for over six months without realising any profit. I was working hard but somehow things were not balancing.

After about eight months, I concluded that the business was not viable, so I closed it.

Because I was still very energetic, I started another project, which also did not yield the results I was expecting.

I dropped the new project and took a three-month break.

With fresh energy, I started another project. I thought I had it together this time around, but sadly, what I feared the most happened again. The project did not yield the results I expected.

I was shattered and thought business was not for me.

I sought and got employment with the hope that working was going to be a stroll in the park. Little did I know that I needed to meet targets. I hoped to rise quickly from the position I occupied, but it did not go as expected.

I got depressed.

I then realised that I was probably missing something.

The beauty of mentors

One thing I knew is that I did not want to remain where I was, so I looked for managers in the workplace who were doing well.

I also looked for those who were running their businesses and had done well for years.

I became intentional about creating relationships with them so that they could teach me some relevant skills.

Of all the things I learnt, one stood out for me — success is not a destination.

It is a journey where you keep moving towards your goals.

The secret is, once you achieve one goal, you will realise that there are many other goals to attain.

This is how success becomes an endless journey.

One of my mentors pulled out this quote from an international author: “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” This gave me a different perspective. The mentor further explained that inasmuch as there are many other factors to consider for me to be successful, consistency is one of the most important factors.

Customers are interested in consistency; it can be consistent service provision or they can be consistent quality products.

“Consistency is very attractive, and once you acquire it, you retain your customers,” said my mentor.

With this advice, I was now deliberate in being consistent with what my customers wanted, and not necessarily what I wanted. Organisational status

The reason many organisations are downsizing or shrinking is lack of consistency.

Because of high staff turnover, many companies have confused organisational cultures, which makes it difficult to tell what exactly the companies stand for.

Many organisations have values written all over their websites and in their offices, but very few adhere to them.

From my experience, a good number of organisations do not have proper induction programmes for their teams, hence gaps and confusion in organisational culture.

Management should invest in proper induction programmes for their teams so that they adopt the culture of the organisation at an early stage.

In most cases, failure to instil the right culture within the first three months can lead to failure to maintain the correct culture, even after the individual eventually stays long with the organisation.

Instilling the right culture requires consistency.

It needs to be an everyday walk, whereby intentional measures are followed bit by bit.

There are some organisations that have good reputations.

Emirates, for example, is known for excellent customer service.

If you need to experience good treatment, you are rest assured to get it from them.

We also have Securico Security Services, which is known for being honest and trustworthy.

There are many good examples that I can cite. The bottom line is this: it took small, consistent efforts for these organisations to be where they are today.

Consistency eventually pays off. General facts

Success is not always about greatness; it is about consistency.

You can be great one day, because of inheritance or many other factors, but without consistency, you may lose your greatness.

If you do simple things repeatedly and long enough, they can yield greatness.

What shapes our lives most of the times is not necessarily the great things we do once in a while, but those things we do again and again.

Be challenged, encouraged and inspired to be consistent in moving towards what you believe in.

Step by step, you will get there. ◆ Rutendo Gwatidzo is the managing consultant at The HUB HR Consultancy. She is a multi-award-winning leader, consultant, speaker and coach. She is also the author of the books “Born to Fight” and “Breaking the Silence”. Contact details: 0714575805; Email: winningstrategy.2020@gmail.com;

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier