I love the actual quote that underpins this discussion. It comes from the American essayist/philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it’s a great one: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

My take is that the key word here is the adjective “foolish”. When opinions, ideas, beliefs, etc. become clearly out of synch with changes in reality, then consistency becomes foolish, and ideas harden into ideology.

But that’s the exception, not the rule. How often does reality render strategy messages obsolete? Contrary to Emerson’s dictum, when it comes to organizational communication and persuasive messages, consistency and constancy are absolute necessities for effectiveness. Without a consistent framework for explaining strategy, market approach, values, etc., and a strategic message constantly communicated, leadership teams may be perceived as not knowing where they are going or what they are doing, putting leadership credibility at risk.

Consistent messages and message frameworks might have to evolve over time, but they shouldn’t be subject to constant change, and should only be abandoned when external reality — e.g., disruptive technology, threatening competitors, weakening economy — calls for changes in strategy.

Most senior leaders have MBAs. And all MBAs have taken marketing classes, and have had to hear that when it comes to reaching consumers, and achieving, at the least, “top of mind” awareness, it takes something like 3-10 repetitions of a message. Employees are no different than consumers: the more consistently and constantly you share a message, the more they’ll remember it, believe it, and just as importantly, believe that you believe it.

Message inconsistency is indeed the hobgoblin of ineffective leaders.