Consistency & Cheating

Nobody likes a cheater.

Sadly, it seems like society often rewards those who take advantage of the rules—or even those who believe the rules shouldn’t apply to them. Think of every cartoon villain ever… and you know the type.

In a team or organization, Consistency is a talent that helps maintain order and processes, ensuring fairness is at the forefront and everyone is treated with clear, consistent expectations.

Consistency isn’t necessarily about combating cheaters, but those who value this talent derive great satisfaction from keeping the playing field level.

I have a lot of experience with cheaters.

Ok maybe I wouldn’t call them cheaters per se, but people in sports or competition who are trying to gain an unfair advantage.

In a previous blog post, I shared a little bit about my background as a college football referee. In fact, I’ve been fortunate to be part of the leadership of a program that has trained referees who’ve gone on to officiate in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, and even the Olympics.

People who watch and play sports expect a lot from officials. One of the things they demand most is consistency.

“Call it both ways!”

When I’m training a new sports official, I like to tell them that whether it’s calling a penalty kick, a free throw violation, or pass interference, being consistent in your decision-making is critical. When the pressure’s on, maintaining your integrity and credibility will carry you forward—even in the rare occasion when you get something wrong.

UNO!

One of the best examples of self-officiating I’ve seen recently didn’t happen on a playing field. It happened during an UNO tournament.

During a recent teambuilding session I led, I had a group play a brief UNO tournament to get them thinking about strengths in action. Usually, I see things like Competition (someone really wants to win, even though there’s no prize), Learner (someone wants to read the rules before the game starts), or Communication (someone is constantly narrating the game, keeping the group updated on the status).

In this game, one of the participants was about to make her move. She was close to getting UNO and winning the game. As she was looking at the cards in her hand, she stopped and said, “Hold on, I can see your cards.” She wasn’t just being a friendly competitor. Instead, she was making sure the game was fair—by not taking advantage of an honest mistake by the person next to her and ensuring that when her turn came around, nobody could accuse her of cheating.

To me, this was a textbook example of Consistency in action. I’ve seen many players who would gladly take the victory and chalk the opponent’s loose card security up to “just part of the game.” But not this person. She wasn’t going to win unfairly. It mattered to her that everyone played by the same set of rules. And to me, that was a perfect illustration of Consistency as one of her top strengths.

After the game, I couldn’t resist sharing what I observed with the group. I noticed that Consistency was in her top 5 (thanks to the placard I have all participants create). I asked her, “Would it have bothered you if you had won unfairly?” She didn’t even hesitate. “Yes,” she said. “Because it’s always important to me that people play by the same rules.” And just like that, we saw Consistency in its purest form.

Consistency in Teams: Leveling the Playing Field

It’s easy to see how important Consistency is when you’re enforcing the rules of a game. But what about when you’re not on the field (or in an UNO battle)?

How does Consistency show up in teams, workplaces, or life in general?

People with the Consistency talent make sure that all team members are held to the same standards. This fosters a sense of fairness and equity. There’s a level playing field where everyone knows what to expect, which can reduce resentment and increase collaboration.

Our friends with Consistency also bring structure and stability to a team by setting clear processes and routines. When we let them communicate how the process is going to work, we can achieve more efficiently, minimize confusion, and get things done more reliably.

So, next time you’re on a team—or even just in a game—think about how Consistency could elevate the experience for everyone.

Trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds, but the results are well worth it.