There are some critical elements of strategy execution that we can implement today by being more effective in our conversations with our colleagues. As we model these aspects of effectiveness, we will dramatically alter our results and the way work gets done.
In the areas that you are not getting the business results you seek, which one or more of these 5 aspects are missing?
1. Relationships
Relationships are the foundation of all accomplishments. If a relationship isn’t one of trust and support then it can’t handle straight open communication and results suffer. Do all your relationships support the results you seek?
2. Doing What You Say/Integrity
Being responsible about doing what we say, by when we say we will do it, makes us someone that people can depend on and trust. Not doing so drags down our team by wasting people’s time and causing results to suffer. How are you or others around you not being your/their word?
3. Clear Expectations
Communicating what we want and by when we want it, in a way that authentic promises match specific requests, leads to predictability. Be careful not to let others (even our supervisor if our client is in another department) get in the way of clear communication of expectations. Where you are not getting what you think you asked for, what exactly did you ask for?
4. Consequences
If there are no consequences, there can be no accountability. Often, people are not aware of the impact of not doing what they promise or of not getting the results that are expected. Does everyone involved know the consequences of not getting the results?
5. Communication
Results happen in collaboration with others. Being frustrated, waiting for someone else, going through a middleman, or trying to figure out something alone isn’t likely the fastest path to results. When you get stuck, identify what is missing and get in communication to explore what it is going to take to get you back on track. This may require clarifying or negotiating specific requests and promises and holding people to their promises. What is the next conversation you can have to move the ball forward?
By increasing our awareness of how we think about results and how we speak about them, we can dramatically improve the predictability of outcomes.
Shoot us a note to start a conversation about what next-level results look like for your company.
Matthew Levy is the Chief Catalyst and principal of RESULTS MANAGEMENT GROUP, LLC, a growth management consulting and executive coaching firm that dramatically shifts business results by facilitating the creation of compelling visions and strategies, aligning executive and other management teams, developing an organizational capacity to manage execution and designing organizational environments and family business governance that support collaboration and the attainment of dramatically better results in any area.
