The distinction between outcomes and activities isn’t new. Most leaders will tell you that it’s important to focus on outcomes. Yet, beyond talking about it, many have difficulty with the “focus” part. The problem that I often see is that leaders struggle to manage outcomes and activities simultaneously. Outcomes become book ends. They are …
Read more “Leadership is about outcomes, management is about activities”
This month’s Harvard Business Review contains an article by Paul Andre, Michael Bernsetein, and Kurt Luther titled, “What makes a good tweet”. The authors asked 1,443 Twitter users to rate tweets along a number of categories including the degree to which the tweet was worth reading in the first place. Sadly, only about of 1/3 …
In the past several decades problems have become more complex. There is more data and information through which to sort. There are also greater interdependencies among those impacted by a decision. As a result, decision making has become more difficult. The response has been greater focus on analytics and data-driven decision. Leaders are asking for …
Congress designated the Days of Remembrance as a time to commemorate the Holocaust. The Days of Remembrance occur this week. The following is a re-posting of an earlier entry on the Leadership Lessons of Holocaust Survivors. ——————————————————————- I often speak about Viktor Frankl and his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” This book should be required …
Read more “Man’s Search for Meaning: When Theory Meets Practice”
It’s pretty common to hear leaders talk about the importance of owning a result or outcome. Ownership creates accountability and accountability drives results. Yet sometimes, even when we own the outcome, it’s still hard to get things done, especially when getting things done requires the contribution or effort of others. This often occurs because while …
Read more “Owning expectations is as important as owning outcomes”
I’ve become hooked on the Draw Something app on my phone. I’m not a particularly good artist, especially when using my finger for a paintbrush and my phone’s screen for a canvas. Yet, I’ve been having pretty good success. One thing that I’ve discovered is that a little context can go a long way when …
Do your goals combine outcomes and activities? For example, “Decrease procurement costs by 15% through vendor consolidation.” If so, you may be missing key opportunities to execute effectively and drive results. Despite the increased focus on outcome-based management, many leaders still spend most of their time focused on activities. There are many reasons for this. …
As collaboration has become more critical for succeeding in a complex, interconnected world, the notion of “shared accountability” has followed. The idea behind creating shared accountability is simple. When multiple people are accountable for the same result, they are likely to think beyond their immediate span of control to achieve the result. In theory that …
Read more “Individual accountability, outcomes, and why Congress doesn’t work”
Recent articles in New York Times and the McKinsley Quarterly make the case that not only is big data here to stay, it’s essential to driving your business success. However, big data and analytics still don’t replace leadership and business acumen. I’m not suggesting that leaders ignore analytics and data. More than ever, leaders need …
Do your goals include outcomes that depend on people outside of your direct control? It’s no secret that there are a lot more inter-dependencies in today’s work environment than in the past. It’s hard to have any real impact without drawing upon people who you don’t formally lead. Yet, more often than not, leaders frame …
Read more “Real leadership is influencing that which you don’t control”