Predictability is no accident

I spend a lot of time on the road — travelling to clients, facilitating workshops and observing people’s behaviour along the way. One thing I’ve consistently noticed is that there are two types of drivers.

There are those who accept the traffic. They leave early, take their place in the queue and move with the flow. Then there are those who push in from the side, create their own lanes, or jump the queue to get ahead. They share the same road and goal of reaching their destination, but have very different mindsets. The same thing happens in organisations.

Mindset trumps the rulebook

The rules of the road exist to protect everyone and ensure alignment and predictability. Yet many people see them as restrictions rather than enablers.

The same applies to policies, standard operating procedures and processes in business. Too often, they are viewed as red tape — obstacles to ‘getting things done’ — when in reality, they are the very structures that enable consistency, flow and safety. The irony is that if everyone followed the system, traffic would move faster, accidents would decrease and predictability would rise.

When did cutting corners become normal?

Not too long ago, reckless driving wasn’t as common. But over time, people started testing the limits and getting away with it. Gradually, this behaviour became the new norm, with the attitude of “everyone does it” and “this will help me get ahead,” or “the rules don’t apply to me.”

We see this same mindset showing up in teams and leadership. Employees are expected to follow processes, yet leaders take shortcuts. Leaders call for consistency but often don’t ‘walk the talk’.

Culture is shaped not by what we say, but by what we do and allow.

Predictable Performance starts with routine, discipline and consistency

Highly successful organisations share a common trait: Predictable Performance. It doesn’t happen by chance. It starts with how we think and what we believe. This mindset shapes our behaviour, which over time forms habits and routines. Habits create discipline, and discipline builds consistency. Consistency, in turn, delivers predictability.

Predictability also requires strong leadership. Many leaders focus on enforcing accountability through policies, but true accountability begins at the head (mindset) and heart (behavioural) level. When people’s heads and hearts are aligned, their hands (disciplined action) will follow.

Execution fails when people don’t buy in

Whether it’s implementing a new process, driving organisational change, or shifting behaviour, execution only works when people know where they are going, believe in what they are trying to achieve and see their managers leading by example.

High-performance organisations get four things right:

Aligned Direction: everyone understands the business direction, their responsibilities, expected outputs and measures of success.

Visible and Engaged Leadership: leaders are skilled, competent and consistently model the behaviours they expect from others.

Engaged Teams that Execute —  teams are confident, capable, and committed.

Process Excellence — systems, structures and processes enable employees to execute consistently while continuous improvement drives better choice, cost, quality, speed, and service.

When this High Performance Formula is in place, change is no longer met with resistance, consistency becomes the norm and execution becomes predictable.

Built on over 30 years of experience, 2Collaborate’s High Performance Formula is designed to enable predictable strategy execution. Tailored to each organisation’s needs, it aligns people around what matters most and unlocks their collective potential.

Is your organisation driving Predictable Performance?

Just like traffic flows best when everyone respects the rules of the road, organisations perform best when the heads, hearts and hands of their people are aligned to make strategy execution predictable.

At the end of the day, creating predictability in business means being able to deliver at the right price, quality and service levels, with integrity. It’s not about compliance or control, it’s about creating an environment in which performance is possible, removing obstacles so that everyone can excel, use their initiative and skills and move forward together towards flawless execution.

We’re proud to partner with leading organisations to build the mindsets, practices and behaviours that enable people to navigate change, manage complexity and consistently deliver excellence.

Ready to unlock your organisation’s full potential? Connect with us today.