Leadership Tip: Define clear, measurable outcomes
Have you ever given your team a task – only to have them deliver incomplete (or a complete lack of) results?
While there are plenty of reasons for under-performance, the most common – by far – is this:
Your outcomes are too FUZZY. (Not “warm and fuzzy” – but unclear)
Don’t worry – it's normal for us entrepreneurs. We're the visionaries… and once we have a goal, we know we'll find a way to get the job done. The problem is, there's often a huge gap between your vision and your team's idea of how they'll achieve it.
The level of clarity you give your team can make a big difference in:
- the quality of results they achieve
- how quickly they get to those results
- how much work YOU have to re-do when they’re “done”
Take this for example:
You tell your team to focus on “growing our email list”. While you might know exactly how you’d achieve that, your team may take a completely different approach. Furthermore, they won’t have a clear idea of when they've “achieved” it. This alone can lead to wasted time and money, missed deadlines, and a serious drop in morale.
So how do you avoid it?
While it may seem simple, just doing this one thing can save both you and your team a lot of wasted time and energy. Not to mention, everyone will feel better about themselves – and their jobs – when they're clear about what they're going for.
How to create measurable outcomes:
If you want your team to achieve the results you’re after, you must define a clear, measurable outcome – so that they'll know when they've hit the target.
When your team knows that their goal is to “build our list by adding 2,000 additional email contacts within the next three months”, they're instantly more focused, more empowered, and more committed to the goal.
Think of the last time you gave your team a direction and they didn't produce what you were expecting… could it be that you didn’t clearly explain your vision and/or describe the ideal, measurable outcome?
Next time you give instructions to your team, focus on the outcome you are going for first…define it clearly… and make sure the results measurable. Then, share the outcome with your team (this will give them a greater sense of ownership- and help them get on board with your next goals and plans more quickly).
Now, get out there and lead!
– Annie
