CONSISTENCY: How CONSISTENCY Works
StrengthsFinder Theme / CliftonStrengths Theme: CONSISTENCY
What Is the CONSISTENCY Theme
Those with the strength of Consistency are the people in our lives who have a strong sensitivity to fairness and make it a constant priority to treat all people equally. For them, injustice, favoritism, and discrimination are not only wrong, they are absolutely repulsive. People with Consistency care about balance and see every person as the same—as a human being—not a job title, a bank account, or a friend of so-and-so. They believe that everyone deserves a level playing field—regardless of their station in life or who they know—and, in their eyes, bias and prejudice of any kind have no proper place in the world. In this way, they can be remarkably objective and tolerant of external differences as well as strikingly compassionate, patient, and understanding. They notice when the scales have been tipped and they are, generally, willing to fight against it. For them, life is about fairness and awareness, a state of being deeply conscious of others and honoring them with outward respect and impartiality. The same rules should apply to all people, not just some. They are the people who will stand up for others and stand by their side. They offer solidarity and support, they give voice to the voiceless.
Why Should We Care
People with Consistency are champions of the unseen and of those whose efforts are taken for granted, they can almost always point out who deserves credit for what. They value everybody and make significant efforts to find the good in each person. For that reason, we can trust them to be fair, balanced, and open-minded. They naturally challenge us to do the same and to give all others an equal chance. For them, life should be fair. Because, really, how can a person truly show what they are capable of when the deck is stacked against them? People should earn their place in society based on their personal merit, skills, and achievements, not on their network, parents, or luck at birth. They are proponents of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt and they instinctively approach life with a sense of duty. Those with the strength of Consistency are protectors, keepers, and guardians against tilted scales and unfair advantages. Even if, at times, they might seem over-the-top, they do keep others, teams, and organizations in check and they are incredibly skilled at identifying blind spots. They encourage us to see the world through a different set of eyes, to cultivate social empathy, and to walk in the shoes of others. They remind us that we need to be aware of one another and that we all do better when we all do better.
Ten Things to Know About People with CONSISTENCY
1. Self-care. They may have the tendency to put the needs of others before their own. They are always practicing balance in their own lives: how to keep their own cup replenished while not over-taking or interfering with the lives of others. The world can feel very heavy to them, at times. They likely recharge in quiet solitude as opposed to spending time with others.
2. Discouraged. Since it is a priority for them to lower their guard, not make assumptions, and treat other equally, many folks with this strength end up getting burned from time to time. They are not, however, easily discouraged or turned away from their work in the world. Whatever it may be, their mission is their mission.
3. Social Justice. They are wired to fight for the rights of the disenfranchised, the marginalized, and the ostracized. At the same time, they may become hyper-aware of their own privilege, which can create a lifelong lose/lose situation for them internally. They may always feel the need to rise up for others and, as a result, develop guilt feelings if they do anything else or enjoy the comforts of the world.
4. Selfishness. They despise selfishness. Their radars are tuned very highly to pick up on it.
5. Structure. For them, order, consistency, and predictability are meaningful. When people know what is expected of them, when they can plan, and when they know in advance what they are getting into, they will be at their best. If there are rules, they should be clear and apply to everyone.
6. Intensity. They seem to feel things with their whole body, especially injustice. They may release this energy by gesticulating, standing up, moving around, even, jumping up and down while talking about certain subjects. Even depictions of unfairness in movies and television, or descriptions of it in books, might get them fired up.
7. Non-human. Their energy is not constrained to purely human issues. They are likely to care about issues related to the fair and humane treatment of animals as well as environmental issues such as land and resource management and sustainability. They may actually relate better to animals, who, in their eyes, might have a more natural sense of the world and its balance.
8. Acceptance. They may have a hard time accepting that unfairness, nepotism, and injustice exist at all. They may ruminate on it and continually activate emotions in connection with specific thoughts. Their impulse is to act and to fight against such forces. Don’t be surprised if they choose to take action and speak out.
9. Rules. They generally like rules, structure, and defined boundaries. This does not mean that they are always rigid. For them, the main purpose of a rule is to level the playing field, not to limit people. So, they may actually view rules as liberating. They are generally happy to explore and challenge the range of possibilities within the given parameters.
10. Love. They are champions of falling in love with the person—not the person’s car, house, looks, or social status. They naturally see past most of that and seek authentic connection with others. This goes both ways, they may be reserved when it comes to their own looks and achievements, because they prefer for others to see the real person behind all that.