Coaches Hate This: Stop Asking us to be Consistent
I have a bone to pick with coaches and sports fans.
Do you want me to be right or consistent? I argue that I cannot be both.
Any of these comments sound familiar?
It was different down the other end!
That's the same as the one from before!
That was a card in the first half!
These set a dangerous trap that referees fall into. We incorrectly prioritise being consistent in a way that compounds an original mistake or point of contention.
My take on what I call 'The Consistency Charade' and the potential of being more 'Professionally Human'.
Am I far off?
The 'Make Up Call'
"Different down the other end! Same as the one from before! A card in the first half!"
What you're actually asking for is a 'Make Up Call': A decision where the referee 'evens the score' after a perceived or actual error, or a contentious decision.
This is a dangerous trap of incorrectly being consistent in a way that compounds the original mistake or point of conflict.
Being fair isn't a mathematical equation of errors or controversy; it's a commitment to the current moment. The goal is to be as accurate as possible in real-time.
Sticking with an incorrect line of decision-making to appear consistent actually depletes credibility in the long run. You get found out!
I see this all the time in matches that end up with several cards and players on the naughty seat, because the referees feel they have to be consistent and 'hold the line'.
This is not the path to success!
In contrast, the humility to put your hand up when you see it differently is what earns long-term respect from players and coaches.
Accuracy in the Age of High Scrutiny
We live in an era where every decision can be analyzed for clicks and social media outrage: What I call Toxic Referee Culture.
This can highlight and showcase nightmare moments where single decisions define tournaments.
In the modern reality with video referral, super slow-motion, and multiple angles, the "truth" is often visible to everyone but the guy or girl on the field holding the whistle.
My position: Always prioritize the truth over the charade of appearing consistent. It's the only way to survive the scrutiny.
When you have the courage to self-correct, ignore the screaming bench and grandstand, or when you're offered new evidence from the video.
You aren't being inconsistent; you're reinforcing a commitment to being as fair and accurate as humanly possible.
Leadership: The Corporate Consistency Charade
This idea also feels relevant in our professional lives.
Middle managers and seasoned professionals everywhere nod along, chained to recycled strategy, maintaining the status quo. Being overly agreeable in Zoom meetings about upcoming Zoom meetings.
We've slipped into cohorts of silent quitters and seat warmers, just doing what's needed to keep the boss happy and make it through to the weekend.
We go along with poor ideas, watered-down standards, and ignore challenges that should be tackled to generate progress, growth, or improvement.
We stay in: Teams. Jobs. Careers and Sectors:
That don't align with our skills or passion for fear of what could come in discomfort and new problems to solve.
Just as the reff ignores a shirt pull or a poor tackle because they missed or played one down earlier. The middle manager or corporate season-pro copy and pastes the same old speaking notes for their team meeting.
Make the First Move: Put Your Hand Up
It's time to put our hands up instead of out, leaning into what it means to be a leader.
In a climate of increasing sideline aggression, poor sportsmanship, and leadership that is lacking, the most consistent you can be is professionally human.
Make the first move to engage with a frustrated coach, international guest player, or teammate at work.
Put your hand up and raise a meaningful issue, make a bold request, or challenge a nod along agenda in a meeting.
Move past the charade of blind consistency and the path of least resistance.
Whether it is admitting a mistake in a local derby match. Putting your hand up when the boss needs a volunteer. Or you're a coach parroting the same old rhetoric after a game, asking for more consistency.
My question to you is this:
Are you just reading from the same old song sheet, or is there a way we can be more professionally human?