I have read many books and articles relating to leadership and have yet to see any one of them talk about this attribute. Predictable. A Leader needs to be predictable. Those who follow a leader need predictability. Why?
1. People need to know what your expectations are and you must act in a way that predict those expectations. If your expectations are to reach a certain objective and that objective has been met, you should predictably give praise for that accomplishment.
2. Predictability gives way to direction. When a leader is predictable, followers know what to expect and know where they are going. The unknown presents a very scary picture.
Without any predictability, your followers will constantly be questioning their performance, your view of their performance and your response to their performance. Those who have a bi-polar tendencies will be destroyed as a leader because of their inability to be predictable to their constituents. Think about it even in government, in this last election. No matter who you liked, one things for sure, President Bush is predictable, and in the end, that is what helped him win. People know what to expect. Unpredictability bring unknown expectations from the followers which is a good way to have no followers.
