Leadership for Results: From Vision to Action

Leadership for Results is a leadership approach focused on achieving tangible and measurable outcomes, emphasizing the ability to guide and inspire a team toward specific goals, ensuring that efforts translate into meaningful results. This approach often involves setting clear objectives, aligning team members with a shared vision, optimizing resources, and adapting strategies as needed to deliver successful outcomes.

Leadership for Results is first and foremost about avoiding “silos” in the organization, where each department plans “improvements” without regard for the organization's overall goals or coordination with other departments. An extreme example would be: Human Resources plans to upgrade training to state-of-the-art training on the operation of existing equipment; Operations plans to replace 50% of existing equipment with the newest models; and Finance plans to reduce the budget for training and new equipment!

The Leadership for Results approach involves:

• Setting clear objectives

• Aligning team members with a shared vision

• Adapting strategies as needed to deliver successful outcomes.

The process comprises the following in chronological order:

• Vision Statement: The process begins with the Leadership Team establishing a Vision Statement.

  • A Vision Statement is the vision of where or who you want your company to be in the future compared to who or where it is now. A compelling vision is a powerful force that creates energy and focus on the direction and future of the organization. A vision statement, in effect, sets the strategic direction of your company usually over the next three to five years.

  • An example of a Vision Statement for a run-of-the-mill bakery aiming to become a renowned high-end bakery would be: "Becoming the epitome of indulgence, we aspire to be the go-to high-end bakery, crafting exquisite confections that delight the senses. Our vision is to redefine luxury baking, setting a standard for taste, artistry, and an unparalleled experience."

• Short-Term Mission Statement: Once the long-term Vision Statement has been established, the Leadership Team must establish the things that must be done in the coming year to take an important step toward achieving the vision.

  • This is called the Short-Term Mission Statement. This is a brief statement, again in general terms, of what must be done in the coming year to take a significant step in the direction of achieving the three-year vision. In other words, without being too specific, what will your company need to do in the first year to get a healthy start on achieving the vision in three years.

  • Using the same example of the run-of-the-mill bakery aiming to become a renowned high-end bakery, a Short-Term Mission Statement might be as follows: “During the next 12 months, we shall begin the process of upgrading our operation to become a high-end bakery. This endeavor shall involve a radical transformation, requiring relocation, important investments, novel premium bakery offerings, and extensive training of our staff.”

• Critical Success Factors: Based on the Mission Statement, next comes the determination of the Critical Success Factors.

  • The Critical Success Factors are those things that are both necessary and sufficient to achieve the mission. Since the mission is a one-year plan, so are the Critical Success Factors which support the mission. Depending on the size of the company, Critical Success Factors are usually limited to no fewer than four and no more than eight items, and by design are more specific than the mission yet not as specific as goals.

  • Again, using the same bakery example, the Critical Success Factors might be as follows: Explore & lease prestige locations to relocate; obtain financing; create novel premium bakery offerings; and prepare the workforce.

• Goals: In the next step, the Goals to be achieved during the year ahead are specified.

  • Goals are established to accomplish each Critical Success Factor. Goals are more specific than the Critical Success Factors, but not as specific as action plans. There is no limit to the number of goals you must write to achieve each critical success factor. The rule is “whatever it takes,” keeping in mind that the goals must be both necessary and sufficient to reach the Critical Success Factors. It is highly suggested to use the concept of SMART goals, which instructs that goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

  • Examples of Goals that need to be met to accomplish the Critical Success Factors: To explore and lease prestige locations, the goal might be to prepare a location study and to determine the services and surface area required for the new bakery concept. To obtain financing, prepare financial projections request financing from banks & find potential investors. And so on, for each Critical Success Factor.

• Action Steps: And, finally, the Action Steps.

  • Here, each goal is broken down into action steps specifying WHO does WHAT by WHEN.

  • Following our Bakery example, then, for instance, the “Prepare location study” would be broken down into specific steps, in this case, assigned to John to be completed by a set date, and so on, for instance:

    • Prepare location study [GOAL]

      • John: Hire location consultant by xx/xx

      • John: Prepare a short list of realtors

    • Determine required area & services for the new bakery concept [GOAL]

      • Jean: Prepare conceptual design and layout of new premises by xx/xx

      • Jean: Detail equipment, furnishings, and area requirements by xx/xx

Summing up:

• The Leadership team establishes a Vision for the organization.

• It crystallizes a Short-Term Mission to support that Vision.

• The Critical Success Factors that support the Short-Term Mission are determined.

• The Goals to support the Critical Success Factors are determined.

• And, finally, Action Steps are written to make sure that each Goal is achieved.