Lead with Right Actions and get Desired Outcomes

The propensity for being result-oriented is an essential attribute of leadership. The onus is on leaders in every field—be it in a corporate, or sports—to execute tasks to the best of their ability. It is their vision and ethics that guides the behavior and performance of their co-workers.

Therefore, project managers, heads of practice, sales heads and team captains need to achieve certain targets within a deadline. Of course, there is no set timeframe for the ultimate goal to be realized; for it could take anywhere from a day to a few months to achieve the end result.

Amidst all this distinction and necessity for accomplishment, a leader must always be on guard to changes, however subtle. As mentioned earlier, a well-defined goal is what is required to facilitate a reason for striving. After all, it serves no purpose if one is rudderless.

Leadership: How Much is Too Much?

But this is akin to a catch-22 situation; one wherein extreme obsession with outcomes could be detrimental in a leader’s bid to achieve his or her desired ambition. The enemies of rational thinking are numerous. Anxiety, tension, and irritability can cast a profound and negative impact on energy levels and cloud our judgment. One of the first, natural and visible fallouts of this downturn in emotions is the decline the quality of work.

It is imperative for leaders to give it their all in order to make headway with absolute determination and thereby reach targets as per schedule. Today’s efforts will have a direct and irrefutable bearing on tomorrow’s results.

Leading by Example

Honesty is one of the traits that demarcate the line between good and great leaders. This intrinsic quality of leadership is two-sided: On the one hand, the leader is honest and realistic about his contributions vis-à-vis his vision and contributions; and at the same time, he should be transparent in his dealings with colleagues. He cannot ask anyone to travel the proverbial extra mile if he fails to do so himself.

This brings us to the next key aspect of communication skills among leaders. In short, a true leader is one who possesses the capabilities to inspire fellow workers to aspire for more. Both verbal and non-verbal communications are equally significant. Moreover, communication is crucial in the workplace, not only for the smooth functioning of the organization but also to enhance inter-personal relationships that will help in elevating performance levels.

Commitment and confidence go hand-in-hand in shaping the destinies of leaders and their teams. When a manager, for instance, charts the course of a time-bound critical project, he or she must take the entire team into confidence. This should be done by infusing confidence in team members and harping on a commitment to successfully complete the job.

All the extraordinary and influential leaders across the world cultivated these principles, which in time proved to be the driving force behind their exemplary achievements. For them, the attainment of excellence was a way of life—a journey that is worth every step of the way.