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There are four distinctive characteristics of results-based leadership. When we talk about result-based leadership, it is simply a term that is used to describe a leadership style that is goal-driven, that is growth-driven, that is vision-driven, and results-driven. The central idea behind this style of leadership is usually geared towards how an organization can achieve it set goals and objectives; irrespective of the obstacles or limitations that may arise along the way.
Listen to podcast: The 4 Distinctive Characteristics of Result-Based Leadership
You see, leaders who are result-based go all out to getting the best out of every situation that they find themselves and out of their team members. They are not the type of leaders that are given to excuses. They are not the type of leaders that can be stopped or hindered by the prevailing circumstances. As a matter of fact, they see every barrier as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block in their way. I remember something vividly that Michael Jordan once said. Michael Jordan said, “obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb the wall or go through the wall or walk around the wall.”
Now this is simply how result-based leaders think. Nothing can stop them or deter them from achieving what they have set to achieve. Now I remember an account in the life of Jesus when He was on earth. Jesus at the time was faced with the challenge of how to feed the multitude. He didn’t have enough bread and fish to feed about 5000 men; and the Bible says that is besides women and children. But Jesus didn’t turn to the multitude and ask them to go away, seeing He could not achieve His intended aim of feeding them. Jesus simply found a way around the situation, thereby making the available loaves of bread and fish to go round; and the Bible even made us to understand that there were even left overs (Matthew 14:13-21).
Now, what does this tell us as leaders, what can we learn from that story? Result-based leadership is not hindered by the prevailing negative circumstances. It is not hindered by government policies or economic situations. Leaders who are result based usually go all out to achieve what they’ve set their minds to achieve. Nothing stops them, no stumbling block, no obstacle can hinder them from achieving the results that they’ve set to achieve in their leadership assignment. Haven said all these, what then are the four distinctive characteristics of result-based leadership?
Number one, the first distinctive characteristics of a result-based leadership, is what is called VISION. I believe this word “vision” is something that we hear again and again and again, as leaders. It is a word that is actually central to our leadership destiny and our leadership assignments. So, we cannot stop talking about that word “vision”. So, what exactly does vision have to do in result-based leadership? Now, in result-based leadership, the leader simply shares his or her vision all the time and every time there is the opportunity to speak with the team members, so that the vision stays with them perpetually, and also guide all that they do.
You see, if a leader does not perpetually and continually share his vision with his team members, with her team members, there is every tendency for them to forget and become lackadaisical in the process of carrying out their duties and assignments. So, the vision must be communicated in such a way and manner that it must be understood for everyone involved in achieving that result. Everyone must be able to understand the vision and must be positive and be productive with it. Now, every leader must learn one vital lesson from what the Lord said to Prophet Habakkuk. If you read Habakkuk 2:3, God said to him, “write the vision, make it plain on the table, so that everyone who reads it can run with it.”
This is the responsibility of the leader. So, if you’re going to achieve result in your leadership as a leader, you must be able to communicate your vision in such a simple and plain language, so that every member in your team and your organization can be productive with that vision, and can achieve the intended result with that same vision. This is very key and important in result-based leadership style.
Now, the second characteristic is VALUES. In result-based leadership, the leaders are guided by their values. Leaders must not jeopardize their core values, all in a bid to achieve results at all cost. You know that there could be tendencies where leaders just want to achieve the result and so, they begin to lower the bar of the values that they’ve set for themselves, and begin to lower the bars of the values of the organization. This should not be the case. As a matter of fact, when you are goal-driven, when you are result-driven as a leader, one of the things that you must never allow happen to you in the process of achieving that goal and that vision is that your values must not be compromised.
The team as well should not lower the bars of the organization’s core values because they want to be seen to be achieving the result as well. The core values of the leader and the organization must be upheld, and should never be sacrificed on the altar of compromise simply because of the desperation to achieve result. So, in result-based leadership, the second characteristics of that leadership style is values, the leader must not be seen to be dropping his or her values simply because he/she is in a desperate situation to achieve result. As a matter of fact, it is in such situations that your values as a leader and the value of your organization must be upheld.
Now, the third one is COLLABORATION. When we talk about collaboration, it is key and a distinct feature of a result-based leadership. You see, everyone within the organization is a potential leader and one way to bring out this leadership potential is by encouraging collaboration. Now, through this collaboration, everyone in the organization and in the team learns the art, the science and the skill of leadership so that sometime in the future, when there is a leadership lacuna, anyone can step in and simply play the role of leadership.
But how do people get to this point of stepping into the role of leadership and taking over in cases where there is lacuna or where there are lacunas? The straightforward answer to that is in the place of collaboration. So, when people collaborate, ideas are shared, concepts are shared, and then everyone you know is able to learn one or two things that they can do in case a leadership appointment is given onto them. So, in a result-based leadership, the leader should not be seen as the one who is always doing everything, there must be collaboration, he must be able to collaborate with his followers and with his team members so that they also can step into their leadership assignments or into the organization leadership assignment and be able to do well while at it.
The last one I want to show us is MOTIVATION. Motivation is another distinctive characteristic of result-based leadership. Leaders must always motivate their team to go all out and give their best. Motivation can come in many and several ways. It could be a promotion, it could be verbal motivation, and sometimes, motivation could come in terms of financial incentives. All these can make employees or team members put in their utmost best into driving the organization vision. Any employee or a team member who is not motivated will not be driven to give his or best towards achieving results. And so, when employees are motivated when team members are motivated, they simply go all-out in order to achieve the result of the organization, and be able to accomplish the vision that has been set before them.
Now, in summary, this is what I’ve been trying to share with us. As leaders. Result-based leadership is a style of leadership that is geared towards achieving the goals and the vision that the organization has set before itself. And there are a number of ways through which these can be achieved. One of them is true vision, the leaders must learn to communicate their vision plainly enough so that everyone within the organization can run with it. And the second one is through core values. In order to achieve results, the organization must not let down its core values and the leader also must not be seen to be compromising in his or her core values. And the third one was collaboration. Everyone within the organization must be able to collaborate in order to bring out the potential leadership skills that are interlinked in each and every one within the organization. And the last one is motivation. Leaders must learn to motivate their team members, to motivate their followers so that they can be encouraged and go all-out in order to achieve the set goals and the results that has been set for the organization.
This is where we are going to draw the curtains on Leaderview and I believe there is something that you are taking away from this writeup. Please don’t forget to share this article with your friends and people within your leadership sphere so that they can get to learn one or two things from these that we shared with ourselves. And in case you are having one or two challenges in your leadership assignment, you can reach out to me by simply dropping a comment in the comment box or simply reach out to me via my WhatsApp number so that we can get to share ideas together as leaders and be able to proffer solutions. Till next time on Leaderview, remain blessed.
[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
