My regular readers may remember my invite to join the Chief Officers’ Breakfast Club a few months ago. Supporting SportsAid, the charity that helps promising young athletes and their families, the Breakfast Club got up and running in January and I now host a series of monthly Zoom sessions where business and sporting leaders come together to discuss their big issues.

Yesterday, our special guest was Sir Will Adderley, the major shareholder and driving force behind the growth of Dunelm, the UK’s leading homewares retailer. The discussions are, of course, in confidence, but I wanted to share one insight from Will: having the confidence to be consistent.

Delivering a new strategy and innovating will, hopefully, lead to success, but will also, almost inevitably, involve some setbacks. The big question is how managers and executives respond to those setbacks. Do they decide to ditch the strategy and find a completely different approach? Or do they learn from the setback, adjust their tactics and continue to pursue their strategic objectives?

Given the pressure to deliver short-term results, it is easy to pick the first option. But the most successful businesses are those that take the latter route. That can only happen if managers have the confidence to be consistent. As a result, they will need some ‘air cover’, personal support and coaching to build and demonstrate the confidence required to deliver long-term performance.

How are you helping your team to have the confidence to be consistent?

Off The Record: I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts

It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear

When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month

Or even your year –

I’ll be there for you (When the rain starts to pour)

I’ll be there for you (Like I’ve been there before)