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In yesterday’s workplace, you put in your time, did what you were told, and learned not to ask questions.

Today’s workplace is a different world. You are expected to ask questions and provide input, to respectfully challenge old concepts and offer new ideas. It is a culture of collaboration, with leadership expected at all levels.

It doesn’t matter if you have successfully occupied a cubicle from nine to five. That’s not enough. What does matter is results.

And this is a good thing because customers will pay for results.

How can you create a results-based workforce?

1. Communicate the big picture vision and goals.

Good communication and results are hand and glove. Good leaders will extend the discussions about vision and goals to their teams, allowing them to offer ideas and input. If your goals come out of the same stale executive team meeting they always have, you may be missing the value of direct input from those who deal face-to-face with your customers and clients.

Do you wonder why only your executives seem to really care about the company’s vision and goals? It could be because they’re the only ones who had a hand in formulating them.

When you involve your team in the formation of goals, they begin to sense ownership in the outcome.

2. Empower your team.

You can have a team who will do what you say, or you can have a team who will know what to do.

Think about this for a minute.

Having people do what you say gives you a sense of great accomplishment. Things get done. It feeds the leadership ego.

But this means everything revolves around your being able to know all the steps and make all the decisions. This approach has limits – the limits of your time and patience; and it limits the growth of your people.

Instead, consider the value of empowering your team by sharing “what” needs to be done and allowing them the figure out the “how.” Give them the ability to make decisions within defined parameters.

This approach helps them grow into leadership and equips them with the ability to solve problems and make good decisions. Not only have you helped to create a leader; you have helped them feel accomplished as well.

3. Share the failures and successes.

When it comes to bad news, companies go to great lengths to ensure employees are the last to know. Understandably, they do not want to create concerns. But what often happens is that, while the executives and Communications department are busy creating the spin that will be relayed to employees, employees find out the real story from outside sources.

The result?

High levels of cynicism and mistrust.

If you are a collaborate leader, you know that your team has as much skin in the game as you do. They want the company to succeed because they know it supports their families and the families of their friends and co-workers. So, when you have a bad quarter, why wouldn’t you involve them in candid discussions?

In one company, a lunchtime group came up with ways to save millions of dollars, enough to right the ship. But the CEO never asked for their input, and the ship went down.

As important as it is to share the challenges and work together as a team to overcome them; it is equally important to share successes.

If you as a leader are recognized for great results, never forget to thank the team who helped to make it happen. Take time to celebrate the victory together before diving into the next big initiative. This type of shared success and celebration builds strong camaraderie, and that will feed the next initiative.

4. Be clear on expectations and results.

“No matter what I do, it is never enough.”

If you ever hear this in the workplace, it is because the leader was not clear on expectations and results.

To reach a goal, you must know what “the end” looks like so you can begin with that end in mind. This creates focus and a timeline. Benchmarks give your team members the chance to create small wins that ultimately feed the completion of the larger goals.

Executed well, your people do not ever need to feel that their work is “never enough.”

Every leader wants good results. These are four ways to get there.

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For more resources on how you can create a team that gets results, click here to learn about the Maxwell Method of Communication Impact Report.

As the CEO of Strength Leader Development, Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after international executive mentor, coach, trainer and speaker. Deb is well versed in global business operations and helps business leaders and their teams to discover and leverage their strengths, so they can create highly collaborative teams that deliver great results. With a refreshingly direct style, Deb helps leaders and their teams to deliver profitable results. Connect with Deb to learn more about her mentorship and coaching programs to equip you with advanced strategies to elevate your results.

When you have a strong team that collaborates well,
you have a competitive advantage.

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