Developing the Leader in You - Part 3 Impact

In our previous blogs, we discussed the importance of creating confidence and demonstrating command for a leader or an aspiring leader. When a leader creates confidence it can result in trust by others. When a leader demonstrates command of the business or enterprise it leads to respect by others. They appreciate his depth of understanding. We also emphasized that people tend to follow people they trust and respect. Management is more likely to put an individual in a leadership role whom they are confident and trust and have respect for their abilities. As a consequence, developing trust and respect are fundamental for leaders and an area for personal development. Today I would like to discuss the importance of achieving results for a leader.

It may seem obvious that ultimately every leader will be evaluated on the results they achieve or do not achieve. This is certainly true however lets look a bit deeper at what it means to deliver results.

Produce Results- Create Impact

Deliverables – Whether leading a capital project or an operating department the achievement of the goals must be fulfilled for ultimate success. Regardless of type group the leader must keep their team focused on the key goals and assure plans are in place and actions are taken to achieve the intended results. To actually achieve results the leader must also have the appropriate command of the business processes and systems and the confidence of the team to make decisions relative to the objectives and organizations well being.

Sustainability of results - The most efficient manner to achieve results is by having healthy effective processes and systems in place that are being used by the organization. Results can sometimes be reached without systems in place, however; having systems in-place assures sustainability. Leaders make sure they not only achieve success today but also assure the organization can continue to achieve success in the future. Using defined processes and systems provides confidence that the results will be sustainable and are due to skill and discipline and not just luck. Results obtained from reliable established processes and systems establish a state of control, command, and confidence that reinforces the perception of the leader as someone who can produce sustainable results with their team. Leaders assure results are sustainable through well-established systems and trained capable people.

Staff developed – Leaders achieve not only business results but also have a responsibility for developing people. The strong leader must coach and provide timely feedback to his staff so that they are continually improving and growing. A key result for any leader is a well-developed capable staff. An effective leader see’s staff development as a fundamental deliverable of their leadership. They recognize and embrace the value of empowering people to perform at greater levels of capability and effectiveness.

The successful leader achieves sustainable results through people and enables them to grow professionally and personally. They celebrate success together as a team. When they do this by working with and through their people they are seen as an enabling achiever. People want to follow people they trust and respect and who will enable them to be successful. Management wants people in leadership who not only are trusted and respected but, are also enabling the team and helping everyone grow and become better. The entire organization wins. These types of results differentiate leaders.

Leaders who create results have impact. The impact can be financial, organizational capability, or in the development of people but ultimately they make a difference in the organization and with people. Make an impact!