Results-Based Leadership

"The quest to become a more effective leader will neither begin nor end with this work. However, we want to shift how to think about and become a better leader. It is faddish to think of leaders as people who master competencies and emanate character. While agreeing with this perspective, we believe that it falls short of assuring that leaders lead. Leaders do much more than demonstrate attributes. Effective leaders get results. This book refocuses and reframes the search for effective leadership by connecting attributes to results...By so doing, this book makes a bold statement about the next generation of leadership thinking. This does not mean less attention to the leader's attributes, but it does mean making sure that leaders understand and commit to the results they must produce-and how they are produced" (pp.1-23).In this context, D.Ulrich, J.Zenger, and N.Smallwood suggest the following fourteen specific actions described in Chapter 7 can help leaders make results a major part of their leadership equation, at whatever level they function in their companies:1. Begin with an absolute focus on results.2. Take complete and personal responsibility for your group's results.3. Clearly and specifically communicate expectations and targets to the people in your group.4. Determine what you need to do personally to improve your results.5. Use results as the litmus test for continuing or implementing leadership practice.6. Engage in developmental activities and opportunities that will help you produce better results.7. Know and use every group member's capabilities to the fullest and provide everyone with appropriate developmental opportunities.8. Experiment and innovate in every realm under your influence, looking constantly for new ways to improve performance.9. Measure the right standards and increase the rigor with which you measure them.10. Cnstantly take action; results won't improve without it.11. Increase the pace or tempo of your group.12. Seek feedback from others in the organization about ways you and your group can improve your outcomes.13. Ensure that your subordinates and colleagues perceive that your motivation for being a leader is the achievement of positive results, not personal or political gain.14. Model the methods and strive for the results you want your group to use and attain.Ulrich, Zenger, and Smallwood argue that these suggestions which may be implemented right now by any leader occupying any position, will modify behavior and improve performance- all without a month-long absence from work or expenditures of large sums of money.Highly recommended.

I have read close to 100 management and leadership books and found this to be one of the best. It stands apart because it looks at both halves required for leadership, whereas most of the other books focus on one or the other. The halves are Results and Character. The authors also provide a framework called the Model of Balanced Outcomes, which I am actually using in my organization. In fact, I just completed a diagnostic and prescriptive paper for my MBA program, which focused completely on this model. This book is one of the few that provides practical application without a whole lot of theoretical mumbo jumbo. Highly recommended!

The authors have done a wonderful job in advancing the position that results -- not just characteristics -- matter. This bottom-line approach to management, as explained well in the text, is a boon for customers and employees alike. Congrats for a well-written work.As a companion to this must-have book, I recommend a couple that I recently read and use extensively (even though they advance leadership from a different angle): the original "Seven Habits" and the newer "The Leader's Guide: 15 Essential Skills."

I read and re-read Results-Based Leadership over the fourth of July weekend, along with some additional materials provided by Provant, and I truly believe this book is a major management 'hit'! I took 50 pps of notes, and even bought a copy for a friend of mine (truly a rare event) who is about to start up a major division for a large local firm. I love the way the authors integrated Kaplan's Business Scorecard Process with the Leadership Development process. Truly a marriage of employee development and strategic 'results'. The 'so that' and 'because of' virtuous cycle is especially clever. I've subtitled the book 'The Missing Linkage'. You've solved so many conceptual issues I've had over the years that I felt that I was reading the 'Rosetta' stone.

The authors provide valuable insights on the true nature of being an effective leader. The ability to show the linkage of results and attributes provides a substantial move forward for the leadership field. This book is an important read for leaders at all levels organizations from senior executives through team leaders. It will enable these leaders to find a strategic line of sight for their leadership actions and get results.