Result oriented leadership

It is a fact of life that many initiatives die within the folds of a file, which ultimately finds itself stacked upon the grave of earlier initiatives, for reasons of lack of action. It is also true that many more fresh ideas and initiatives meet their Waterloo for lack of follow up; hence they either decay or just wither away. Several projects of both the private and public sector; for reasons of not getting proper attention or due to constraints of financial resources, end up in a state of semi-completeness. This acquires a sizeable shape of a problem to contend with, for managers and leaders. Pakistan Steel Mill is a case in point.

Delayed action, either due to absence of faith in the skill of self and others or due to deliberate thought of despoiling a venture is a self-infliction of financial loss, to the entity or the country. The political fallout of extreme measures of say, laying of extra fat of over-employment; runs supreme and hence no action is taken. Several of our SOEs (State Owned Enterprises) are suffering due to the inertia caused by fear and reappraisal, by the labour employed at these units. The will to bite the bullet is grossly missing.

Action without generating results, remains an action with no reaction, which tantamounts to defying Newton’s law of motion, where the first principle is, every action must result in a reaction; to the contrary, no reaction satisfies the second principle, ‘.… a body at rest will remain at rest, until some foreign force acts upon it’. The foreign force desired to push through initiatives successfully is to do a regular follow up on the results achieved through action. Inattention to the outcome of effort is a major cause for not achieving success. “The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for unswervingly. That is dedication” (Cecil B Demille- the genius director who gave cine-goers the epic movie “Ten Commandments”.) If getting the goal is not a passion, then the pursuit is unnecessary and an exercise that has futility, as its outcome.

A leader has to be a tireless worker, with passionate obsession to fulfil an uncontrollable urge to achieve. Their pursuance has to be filled with regular planning, organising, delegating, tracking and re-planning to meet demands of new trends and development, as he/she trudges towards the ultimate aim of achieving objectives. Persistence is a compulsive disorder that afflicts all enlightened leaders. They never relent.

Managers have to come up with a complete strategic design that is expected to define, with clarity, the various steps and activities that must be undertaken to have the desired results. The first prerequisite to this requirement is to have in place a manager, who has the ability to take command, and must appear to colleagues, as one who has a change oriented mind set, and one who knows the destination. Initiatives have to be equal to the demand of the strategic direction of the organisation.

Leaders, who do well, have in themselves great tenacity to work around problems. They do not let obstacles to become a hurdle in their resolve to achieve. They pursuit, with renewed vigour and new thought structure, relentlessly for achieving the targeted results. They invariably are possessed of unflinching faith in their mission.

Good to great managers find no regret to follow a track that has been tread upon with success by others; but there are also many who believe that it is best to find paths for achievement, that have no footprints. To the subscribers of the latter view, what appears important is their choice to exercise and introduce fresh ideas, that are believed upon, to yield better results, than is expected from the beaten track. To the followers of the former view, what sounds significant is that there would be no need to reinvent the wheel; and for anything new or innovative, it is in their view, more easier to use and incorporate, by ploughing it into the used track. Both give equal opportunity to do better than the past. The important element in both, being able to measure results frequently and within stated times.

The quest for achievement of goals gives such managers a solid faith in the capabilities, skills and talent of their team mates. No obstacle or hindrance undermines their enthusiasm to achieve. Whilst making efforts, all that arises as insurmountable impediments, are attended to by chiselling diverse opinions that leads to harmonisation of efforts, which propel the team towards desired results.

The leader obsessed with the will to succeed uses conflicting opinions and diverse approaches of his colleagues, by timely intervention, that is laced with grit to shun the differences; and at the same time they ceaselessly work to forge cohesion of opinion. Bad leadership plays on distinction to dis-unite the workforce, disabling any perceived potential or even formidable threat to their coveted position. Leaders, conveniently forget that the principle of divide and rule doesn't have longevity in either the business world or in the realm of politics. The removal of internal conflicts ensures the required focus for the targeted results. Intelligent managers and leaders never utter, “my colleagues were beaten”, instead they say, “I was beaten”. To get results, leaders have to assume and shoulder great responsibility. To do is difficult, and the command to make others do is even more difficult. Those who despair in difficult times aren’t the mettle for leadership, but certainly they make for cowards.

Managers with thirst upon seeking uniqueness and distinction are turbocharged with a trait and inclination that propels them unwaveringly, with a sense of drive, that usually comes to the fore as their predominant trait and signature characteristic.

Since leaders recognise importance of time, they do not allow for any act or thought that may render enthusiasm into a state of inertia. They are never short in their readiness to face tough situations competitions. Competition drives out any who lack persistence, courage and ability to do a full, but periodic evaluation to determine, if the actions taken are producing the desired results.

Results to be had must have definitive timelines for achievement. In the absence of a target date, it is likely that inefficiency or procrastination may seep into the working environment. For all types of leadership, time is of essence; and that activity which cannot be measured, most often does not require to be done.

The writer is a banker and freelance contributor