On an organizational level, there is considerable benefit in moving from a task-driven to a results-driven model. A task-driven organization is concerned primarily with time management and efficiency, whereas a results-driven one is concerned with creating an empowered and accountable workforce. In the latter system, the focus is on achieving particular goals and outcomes rather than specific tasks.
Results driven organizations require more strategy and forethought of everyone, so ultimately organizations become stronger and more flexible. The shift toward a results-driven model often starts with leaders who adopt this mindset. From a leadership perspective, becoming results-driven means ensuring that everyone at the company is aligned and generating an environment of transparency. Some tips for becoming a results-driven leader include:
1. Explain why decisions get made.
For the results-driven leader, transparency is key. Always explain your strategy and connect it to why decisions are being made. Not only does this inspire trust and confidence, but it also helps align strategy across teams. Furthermore, this helps teams know what is expected of them.
Employees should have a clear idea of how you will react to certain situations so that they can back you, contribute to strategy, and move the company closer toward its goals. When leaders are not transparent about their motivation, it can leave employees feeling confused and excluded.
2. Identify obstacles in a systematic way.
Achieving success means identifying and removing obstacles. Leaders need to be systematic in their approach to achieve this efficiently. These obstacles may be internal or they may be external. In either case, it is important to identify the obstacle and then tackle it head on to minimize its impact.
Even if the answer is not immediately apparent, naming the obstacle is the first step in eliminating it. Leaders can always ask for input from their employees, but they need to set the precedent of not being afraid. The obstacles are not something to fear, but rather something to identify and address proactively.
3. Set measurable goals for improvement.
To drive success, results-oriented leaders set goals for employees focused on helping them in key areas. These goals need to have measurable outcomes to track progress toward achieving set goals. Over time, employees will see the progress they have made, and this will ultimately encourage them to keep going.
Sometimes, people lose sight of how far they have come. However, setting measurable goals for employees gives them a way to look back and see the progress they have made. This is a great way to boost morale and keep motivation high. If the goals are lofty, it makes sense to set some smaller benchmarks along the way to recognize progress.
4. Adopt a mindset that emphasizes growth.
The results-driven leader never gives up, which means that failures are not counted as dead ends, but rather opportunities for learning. In some ways, failure can be as meaningful as a success. After all, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do, especially as the market shifts and companies pivot to stay relevant.
Results-driven leaders reframe failure as opportunities for learning and model how to break down what happened not in a way that doesn’t focus on assigning blame but that identifies the root cause. This process of dissection can be extremely important to rethinking projects in the future, and those lessons will go on to inform other initiatives. Furthermore, this process often helps leaders refine their goals and make them more meaningful and specific.
5. Demonstrate what it means to be results-driven.
Good management demands leading by example. For the results-driven leader, this is even more important. As a leader, it is imperative to follow through on your commitments or be transparent about why. Leaders can show their team members how to balance upholding commitments and maintaining the flexibility necessary to achieve results. Be patient when employees fail and continue to be diligent in setting the right example.
6. Encourage friendly competition and recognize achievement.
An effective way to keep employees motivated to meet goals and deliver results is with friendly competition. While truly setting employees against each other can be dangerous, having challenges to see who can be most productive is a great way to increase efficiency. Often, people uncover new ways of doing things during these challenges that save time and energy down the line. Of course, being a results-driven leader means taking time to recognize those results and honor the contributions that people have made and keep in mind everyone will appreciate a prize to sweeten the pie!