Consistency vs. Intensity

There is currently a lot of chatter in business, particularly in Startup World, as to the importance of consistency versus intensity. Does a company have to choose only one?

Fair play to that, dear reader.

Consistency

From a business perspective, consistency refers to the steady, reliable execution of processes, delivery of products or services, and maintenance of standards over time.

It’s about creating predictable, repeatable outcomes that build trust and loyalty with customers, employees, and stakeholders.

Consistency compounds small efforts into long-term gains, reducing errors and costs while reinforcing brand reliability.

Intensity

Intensity describes concentrated bursts of effort or resources to achieve specific, often time-sensitive goals. These goals may be associated with significant changes.

It’s the high-energy push during a product launch, a sales blitz, or a crisis response.

For instance, a startup might work intensely to meet a funding deadline or a retailer might ramp up for a holiday season surge or a real estate developer might drive a contractor to finish a high rise office building to beat the competition to the marketplace.

Intensity can drive breakthroughs and rapid progress.

So, here’s the thing, dear readers, there is a time for both consistency and intensity.

I would build a company with an eye toward significant operational excellence. The motto of a company I founded was “Urgent Excellence” which meant to do things well and fast.

I would pursue within that excellence specific goals that required periods of intense effort — raising gobs of money fits in that category — but always continue to be consistent.

I served in the Vietnam War Era US Army as a combat engineer and I remember the nature of our training wherein we used explosives to destroy things. The training had to be methodical and careful because of the nature of the risk.

In that same time, I recall being assigned to cross the entire Second Infantry Division across the Imjin River in Korea on a floating bridge as if it were attacking toward the north. It was an intense exercise made even faster because we had trained well.

In developing any company, I applaud the wisdom of process — creating it, documenting it, and executing it. The Special in Special Forces is the quality of their execution of battle drill.

Great companies embrace, “Crawl, Walk, Run.”

When you rely on process, you can move more quickly as everybody knows their role. You become faster as you execute process.

First you become smooth and then you become fast.

I did a lot of acquisitions in my business career. It took a few years, but I developed an extensive checklist and a longish memo that detailed how to proceed along the checklist. It so streamlined our efforts that we could both make smooth acquisitions, but also bring people into the process and bring them up to speed quickly.

So, consistency and intensity.

But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. God bless us all.