Aesop's Fabled Winning Strategy

You have heard the tale since childhood, and if you heeded it, you learned one of the greatest business strategies while you were still in the nursery. The Tortoise and the Hare have a race, and even though the hare is a much faster animal, the steadiness of the tortoise prevails and he crosses the finish line first.

This principle was exemplified in the life of NCAA basketball coach and lecturer John Wooden, winner of ten national championships, who counted among his favorite maxims, "Be quick, but don't hurry." He was known for putting his most consistent players into the game.

Consistency is a trait that is easy to find among the success stories of all varieties. Michelangelo painted the ceiling and altar wall of the Sistine chapel with it. The Pilgrims survived where other settlements had failed because of it. Edison found an improved light bulb filament with it. Lincoln ended the Civil War with it. Walt Disney built an entertainment empire with it.

Since consistency and dependability are essential for building a base of repeat customers, keeping an even-keeled workplace is important for your bottom line. For that reason alone there is a need to train your employees to be consistent. But perhaps an even better reason is that maintaining a steady workplace environment will eliminate a lot of employee drama. In Aesop's fable, the Hare boasted of never having lost a race and the Tortoise was ridiculed for being slow-moving. The verbal hype may not have directly affected the outcome, but it did create an unpleasant atmosphere at the starting line.

The Character Training Institute, Inc., in their book, Achieving True Success, offers a list of "I will's" that promote consistency.
I will...
• make the most of my spare time
• keep trying until I succeed
• keep my work area neat
• complete all that I am expected to do
• keep my word
• be careful what I promise
• pull my share of the load

Putting these into practice will greatly reduce the gyration of workplace highs and lows. When everyone is keeping their word and pulling their share of the load, then you begin to see that the race is not between your employees; they are all running on the same relay team. The race is against your business competitors, and you will consistently emerge as the victorious tortoise.