Results Orientation is focusing on the desired end result of one's own or one's units work; setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them.

An employee demonstrating this competency:

• Develops challenging but achievable goals
• Develops clear goals for meetings and projects
• Maintains commitment to goals, in the face of obstacles and frustrations
• Finds or creates ways to measure performance against goals
• Exerts unusual effort over time, to achieve a goal
• Has a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and getting work done

Results Orientation enables an individual to set and achieve challenging goals. People with this competency keep their goals and performance measures firmly in mind, so that they accomplish more in a shorter period of time. This competency is also an advantage after downsizing, because staff of a leaner organization must accomplish more work and become more productive.

One of the best ways to develop this competency is to work closely with a manager or team leader who demonstrates it. These people set challenging but achievable goals and milestones and regularly check their progress against goals. They also demonstrate a sense of urgency about achieving goals. You may also find it helpful to try one of the readings or self study courses that addresses goal setting. In addition to the ideas below, examine the time management readings and courses listed under Analytical Thinking.

Prepare a set of personal work-related goals for the next two weeks. List what you will do in specific terms. The next time you are in charge of a meeting, prepare an agenda that includes specific objectives. Keep the group on track to ensure that you meet all objectives for the meeting. Find ways to measure your own work or a team’s work. First identify the most important outcomes you are working toward with each key task. Develop a way to measure each key outcome. For example, if you are in a Sales group, you might measure number of cold calls, number of customer meetings, number of proposals, and number of sales closed per week. Once you have identified the measures, graph each measure to track trends over time. For example, one graph might plot number of customer meetings held per week. If you are on a team, push the team to identify specific goals with deadlines and specific team members accountable for their completion.

Prepare a set of goals for your own work or for a team of which you are a part. Show the goals to someone whose judgment you respect. Ask if the goals represent the right balance between being challenging and being achievable. A good set of goals should be challenging enough to provide positive motivation and realistic enough to be achievable with some extra effort.

Interview someone who has achieved impressive results. Ask this person what he/she does to achieve results. Ask the person to describe in detail what he/she did to achieve one or two impressive results. Ask about planning, setting goals, and dealing with obstacles.

If you are coaching someone who is trying to develop the compentency, you can: Model this competency by publicly setting challenging but achievable goals for your unit. Ask the person to prepare a set of personal work-related goals for the next 3-6 months. Review the goals with this person and provide feedback and suggestions. Set up a procedure for the person to regularly meet with you or keep you informed about progress toward the goals. Provide assignments which involve having the person work closely with someone who is strong in Results Orientation.

By January 16, I will prepare a set of personal work-related goals for the first quarter and review these goals with my manager. By February 1, I will develop 3-6 key measures of my work progress. I will plot each of these measures on a graph displayed in my cubicle. By March 4, I will ensure that the Distribution Reassessment Team has developed a set of goals for the second quarter and an action plan with specific tasks, milestones, and accountabilities. By June 30, the team will meet all of its goals.

BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

Four Ways to Increase the Urgency Needed for Change, by John Kotter. Article in Harvard Business Review, 2009. https://hbr.org/2009/04/four-ways-to-increase-the-urge.html

Getting Results: Five Absolutes for High Performance, by Clinton Longenecker & Jack L. Simonetti. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Goals and Goal Setting, Third Edition: Achieving Measured Objectives, by Larrie Rouillard. Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, Inc., 2002.

Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs, by John Doerr. 320 pages. Portfolio Publisher, 2018.

Objectives and Key Results: Driving Focus, Alignment, and Engagement with OKRs, by Paul Niven and Ben Lamorte. 224 pages. Wiley, 2016.

Performance Management: Changing Behavior that Drives Organizational Effectiveness, by Aubrey Daniels & James Daniels. Tucker, GA: Performance Management Publications, 2004.

Process Reengineering in Action: A Practical Guide to Achieving Breakthrough Results, by Richard Y. Chang. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Root Cause Analysis: Improving Performance for Bottom-Line Results, Third Edition, by Robert J. Latino & Kenneth Latino. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2006.

Sense of Urgency, A, John Kotter. 208 pages. Harvard Business Press., 2008

The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life, by Bernard Roth. 288 pages. Harper Business, 2015.

The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting On What Matters, by Peter Block. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2002.

The Science of Intelligent Achievement: How Smart People Focus, Create and Grow Their Way to Success, by Isaiah Hankel. 312 pages. Capstone Publisher, 2018.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Ltd., 2005.

Vision to Results: Leadership in Action, by Jim Fischetti. 136 pages. Lioncrest Publishing, 2019.

Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, by David Rock. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishing, 2009.

WORKSHOPS & COURSES - PUBLIC, ONSITE, ONLINE

LinkedIn Learning. Online courses.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=measure%20results

Balanced Scorecard Essentials. One day online. Balanced Scorecard Institute. Tel. 919-460-8180.
https://balancedscorecard.org/balanced-scorecard-essentials/

Building Better Work Relationships: New Techniques for Results-oriented Communication. Three days classroom and online.. American Management Association. Tel. 877 566-9441
https://www.amanet.org/building-better-work-relationships-new-techniques-for-results-oriented-communication/

Getting Results Without Authority. Two days classroom and online. American Management Association. Tel. 877 566-9441.
https://www.amanet.org/getting-results-without-authority/

The Fundamentals of Structural Thinking. Four days. Robert Fritz, Inc. Tel. 800 848-9700.
https://www.robertfritz.com/wp/programs/fundamentals-of-structural-thinking-fst/

EXTERNAL RESOURCES
See Appendix