That great “management guru”, 
Woody Allen, once commented that “75% of success is just showing up”! How true that is. After all, how often have you seen someone succeed just because they happened to show up at the right time? They weren’t necessarily smarter, more qualified, or more talented than anybody else. They just happened to be at the right place at the right time- pure CHANCE!
So since we obviously can’t control the 75% of success based on pure chance what about the other 25%? What if you wanted to do more than just survive? What if you actually wanted to excel at something? Well, I don’t have any quantifiable statistics to support my belief but I do have a strong opinion about success factors! (I’ll bet you already figured that out, didn’t you?).
Putting aside Mr. Allen’s 75% based on chance I think the next 15% of success can be attributed to consistency. In other words, not just “showing up” but doing so time after time after time. In good weather and in bad weather. When you’re in the mood and when you’re not in the mood.
And finally I feel the last 10% of success is based on the technical skills of actually knowing what you are doing. Well, if we can’t control the 75% of success based on pure chance and since most carpet cleaners already know technically what they are doing (more or less!) this means we must focus on CONSISTENCY!
I’ve worked for some time with a man named James. Now James has an incredibly positive personality. In fact, it is hard to have a bad day when you’re with hanging out with James. He just has a way of dispersing any clouds that might be hanging around your world that day. But I digress …
James recently told me about shooting a round of golf with a friend of his who was the captain of her high school golf team. Now, James is an athletic, 6’3” tall guy. So, he can whack a golf ball pretty far. And apparently he was doing just that—but only occasionally. Not consistently. About this time his friend commented, “You had me going there for a while. I thought you were going to be consistent.”
You see, his friend understood the secret to excelling at golf. It’s consistency. It’s not just how well you hit the ball. It’s how often you can consistently hit the ball well. And the same thing is true in business and in life. (“Loose cannons” not only sink ships. Erratic individuals like this not only can destroy their own life but sometimes the lives of those around them.)
In business it’s not just how ecstatic you make one customer with your service. (Steve Toburen calls these delighted customers Cheerleaders in our SFS seminar.) It’s how consistently you make these Cheerleaders and especially how often your employees can make Cheerleaders.
It’s not just how big a profit you turned this month. It’s how consistently you turn profits month after month. It’s not just the annual raise or the semi-annual performance reviews you do. (See my last blog post on why and how you should say “thank you” to your employees.) It’s the consistent expressions of appreciation and opportunities for professional growth that make the difference.
In our personal lives it’s how consistently we follow through on our commitments; it’s how consistently we show our appreciation or affection for loved ones; and it’s how consistently we live our values.
Excelling in sports, business, or life isn’t reserved for the lucky few that happened to be born with exceptional gifts. It’s achieved by consistently performing well. And consistency of performance is the result of discipline and practice. Something any of us can do. Consistently do the right things well. And success absolutely will consistently follow!
Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates