"But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency"
About this Quote
“Balanced” is doing the heavy lifting. It implies a scale: push too hard toward novelty and you get whiplash - demoralized teams, confused customers, strategy that reads like a mood swing. Push too hard toward consistency and you calcify, letting competitors define the future for you. Burton’s phrasing also smuggles in a managerial worldview: leadership is less about dramatic pivots and more about regulating tempo, sequencing, and trust.
The subtext is about credibility. Consistency isn’t just operational repeatability; it’s identity. Customers return because they recognize a product, a service standard, a set of values. Employees stay because they can predict what “good work” looks like next month. In that sense, consistency is the container that makes change survivable. You can swap the furniture, but you can’t keep moving the walls.
Contextually, it reads like a lesson earned from reorganizations, rebrands, or “transformation” initiatives that broke something essential while chasing the new. Burton’s intent is pragmatic: innovate, yes - but don’t bankrupt trust to pay for it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Change |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Burton, Ron D. (2026, January 16). But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-change-must-always-be-balanced-with-some-102739/
Chicago Style
Burton, Ron D. "But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-change-must-always-be-balanced-with-some-102739/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-change-must-always-be-balanced-with-some-102739/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.











