Focusing on Results in Your Team

If your team's assessment highlighted "Inattention to Results" as a key area for growth, you've identified a critical challenge that can prevent even highly collaborative and committed teams from achieving their full potential. This dysfunction means the team's efforts aren't consistently translating into tangible, impactful outcomes.

What is "Inattention to Results"?

"Inattention to Results" occurs when team members prioritize individual needs, departmental goals, or even internal team harmony over the collective, measurable outcomes of the project. It often looks like:

• Focus on Activity, Not Outcome: Being busy without clear progress towards defined goals.

• Individual Recognition Over Team Success: Celebrating personal achievements more than collective project milestones.

• Siloed Thinking: Prioritizing departmental or individual agendas over the overall project's success.

• Vague Goals: Lacking clear, measurable objectives, making it hard to know if the project is truly winning or losing.

• Distraction: Easily sidetracked by new initiatives or internal politics that pull focus from core objectives.

This dysfunction is the ultimate consequence of the preceding dysfunctions. If a team avoids accountability, commitment can wane, conflict is sidestepped, and trust is weak, making it difficult to maintain a sharp focus on collective results.

Why is Focusing on Results So Important for Your Project Team?

For any project, especially those with a clear mission and purpose, a relentless focus on results is paramount for impact, stewardship, and sustainable growth. It ensures:

• Tangible Impact: Your efforts translate into real, measurable achievements that advance your mission and serve your stakeholders.

• Stewardship of Resources: Time, talent, and resources are invested wisely, ensuring maximum return on effort for the greater good.

• Motivation and Morale: Achieving clear results provides a sense of accomplishment, fuels motivation, and reinforces the team's value and purpose.

• Strategic Alignment: The team remains aligned with the overarching vision and strategic objectives, avoiding wasted effort on misdirected activities.

• Credibility and Trust: Consistently delivering results builds credibility with stakeholders, partners, and the wider community you serve.

Practical Strategies to Focus on Results

Shifting a team's focus to results requires clarity, discipline, and a consistent emphasis on outcomes.

1. Define Clear, Measurable Results

• Specific Goals (SMART): Ensure every project has Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. Vague goals lead to vague results.

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Identify the critical metrics that will indicate project success. What numbers or outcomes will tell you if you've achieved your goal?

• "What does winning look like?": Regularly ask the team this question for each project or phase. Ensure everyone has the same definition of success.

2. Publicly Track Progress Towards Results

• Visible Dashboards: Use your project management system (ClickUp, Trello, etc.) or a simple visual dashboard to publicly display progress against key goals and metrics.

• Regular Reporting: Dedicate a portion of every team meeting to reviewing progress against results, not just activities. "Are we on track to hit our goal of X by Y date?"

• Transparency: Make project results and metrics visible to everyone on the team, fostering a shared sense of ownership and urgency.

3. Prioritize Collective Outcomes

• "Team First" Mindset: Encourage team members to consistently prioritize the collective success of the project over individual recognition or departmental interests.

• Interdependence: Highlight how each team member's contribution directly impacts the overall project results. Show the interconnectedness of their work.

• Sacrifice for the Greater Good: Foster a culture where team members are willing to make personal or departmental sacrifices for the ultimate success of the project.

4. Celebrate Achievements (Collective First)

• Recognize Team Wins: Make a conscious effort to celebrate collective project achievements and milestones more prominently than individual accomplishments. This reinforces the value of teamwork.

• Connect Effort to Impact: When celebrating, clearly articulate how the team's efforts led to the specific results and the positive impact these results have.

• Public Acknowledgment: Share project successes broadly, giving credit to the entire team.

5. Stay Focused and Avoid Distractions

• Regular Re-alignment: Periodically revisit the project's core objectives to ensure the team hasn't drifted or become distracted by new, less critical initiatives.

• Say "No" to Non-Essentials: Empower the team to politely decline or defer new requests that do not directly contribute to the current project's defined results.

• Time Management: Implement strategies to minimize time spent on unproductive activities and maximize focus on high-impact tasks.

The Leader's Role in Focusing on Results

As a project leader, your unwavering focus on results is contagious:

• Define and Communicate Clear Goals: Be the chief architect and communicator of the project's measurable outcomes.

• Demand Accountability for Results: Consistently hold the team (and yourself) accountable for achieving the defined results, not just completing tasks.

• Remove Obstacles: Actively work to remove any barriers that prevent the team from focusing on and achieving its goals.

• Celebrate the Right Things: Intentionally recognize and reward collective results, reinforcing the desired behavior.

• Stay Focused: Model discipline in prioritizing and avoiding distractions, keeping the team's eyes on the prize.

Moving Forward

A team that is truly focused on results is a powerful force. It operates with clarity, purpose, and a collective drive to make a tangible difference. By cultivating this discipline, your project team will not only achieve remarkable outcomes but also experience a profound sense of fulfillment in seeing their shared efforts bear fruit for the mission you are called to serve.

Remember, true success is not just in the effort expended, but in the impact achieved. Let your team be known by its fruit.