Leaders who drive outcomes focus on delivering meaningful results by combining personal accountability with enabling others to succeed. They set clear goals, uphold high standards, and follow through even in challenging situations. They engage diverse perspectives, remove barriers, and build momentum within their teams.
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Steve Jobs
Barriers to driving outcomes
Low ownership and accountability: Avoiding personal responsibility and failing to hold others accountable weakens follow-through and results.
Lack of goal clarity: When leaders are unclear about priorities and success measures, teams become confused and misaligned.
Unrealistic goal setting: Setting goals that are overly ambitious or poorly resourced leads to frustration and underperformance.
Procrastination and delay: Leaders who hesitate or delay action often lose momentum and fail to meet critical goals.
Over-focus on theory: Spending too much time on concepts and discussions without translating them into action reduces progress and impact.
Resistance to alternative thinking: Rejecting new ways of thinking and problem-solving reduces adaptability and innovation.
Weak connection to business outcomes: A failure to link inclusion efforts to tangible business outcomes undermines motivation and results.
Disregard for the value of inclusion: Leaders who overlook how inclusion drives performance miss out on its full business potential.
Limited exposure to diversity: Working within narrow networks restricts access to fresh ideas and different perspectives.
Losing focus on inclusion: Leaders who neglect the value of diverse perspectives and inclusive practices risk missing opportunities to deliver stronger results.
“You don’t get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the actions that produce results.” Mike Hawkins
Enablers of driving outcomes
Set meaningful stretch goals: Aim high, but ensure goals feel achievable. Tailor goals to individual motivators and stay involved to provide support and feedback along the way.
Use diversity as a performance driver: Actively seek out different perspectives to solve problems faster and make better decisions. Inclusion leads to stronger and more sustainable results.
Listen before you act: Slow down and engage others before jumping into action. Sharing the big picture and inviting input builds commitment and leads to better outcomes.
Start earlier to avoid a last-minute rush: Tackle tasks sooner by doing a small part straight away. Early action reduces stress and improves consistency.
Maintain focus until the end: Keep your energy and attention high through to completion. Review progress regularly, follow through on final steps, and finish well.
Handle resistance constructively: Expect pushback when driving performance or change. Listen to concerns from different perspectives, adjust where needed, and stay focused on the end goal.
Address team differences early: Pay attention to how individuals are contributing. Adapt the team setup, roles, or support to keep progress moving and avoid stalled performance.
Increase comfort with risk: Be willing to take calculated risks to move things forward. Try new approaches, involve diverse thinking, and see mistakes as learning opportunities.
Learn to spot hidden barriers: Pay attention to barriers, including a lack of inclusion, that block performance. Remove obstacles, call out bias, and create a fair environment for results.
Think systemically: Focus on removing organisational barriers that slow progress. Develop fair processes and inclusive practices that enable everyone to succeed.
“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.” Jesse Jackson
Self-reflection questions on driving outcomes
Do I take personal ownership for delivering results? Where have I followed through well? Where have I let things slip? What small action can I take today to strengthen my follow-through?
Am I clear on goals and priorities? Do my team and I have absolute clarity on what success looks like? How often do I revisit and reset priorities when things change?
Do I set stretching but achievable goals for myself and others? Are my goals ambitious enough to inspire, yet realistic enough to deliver? How do I adapt goals to individual motivators and strengths?
How well do I follow through on commitments during challenging situations? What tends to distract me or cause me to delay action? How do I maintain momentum when obstacles appear?
Do I involve others early and meaningfully in achieving outcomes? Who needs to be included earlier in shaping plans or decisions? How do I ensure people understand the bigger picture?
Am I using diverse perspectives to drive better results? When was the last time I actively sought different views? How do I ensure everyone’s input is heard, not just the loudest voices?
How well do I handle resistance when driving for results? Do I make time to listen to concerns or objections? How do I stay focused on outcomes without shutting people down?
Do I spot and address the barriers that block progress? What obstacles have I noticed that hold the team back? How proactive am I in removing or reducing these barriers?
How comfortable am I with taking reasonable risks to move things forward? Where am I playing too safe and limiting progress? How do I encourage myself and my team to experiment?
Am I thinking long-term and systemically about how we deliver results? How often do I consider the wider business impact of my actions? Where could I influence fairer, more inclusive processes?
“Vision without execution is hallucination.” Thomas Edison
Explore related leadership resources
To further develop this capability, examine how it intersects with other core leadership dimensions across the libraries:
Leadership library:
- Assertiveness: Direct your team’s energy toward key objectives by communicating expectations clearly and addressing performance gaps as they arise.
- Command Skills: Take a decisive lead in high-stakes situations to ensure the path to the desired outcome remains clear and the team stays on track.
- Prioritisation: Protect your team’s capacity by focusing only on the most critical results, preventing “mission creep” from diluting your overall impact.
- Organising Self and Others: Create the structural foundation and coordination necessary to turn high-level goals into a series of achievable, results-oriented steps.
Supporting libraries
- Accountability (Traits): Leverage your natural sense of ownership to set a visible example, ensuring that you and your team remain answerable for the final results.
- Decisiveness (Traits): Drive momentum by making firm choices, even with incomplete information, to prevent the delays that often stall outcome delivery.
- Impulse control (EQ-i): Maintain a steady focus on long-term objectives by managing the distractions or short-term pressures that can derail consistent progress.
- Independence (EQ-i): Draw on your self-directed confidence to pursue results with conviction, ensuring you can lead your team toward a goal even when external direction is limited.
Continue exploring: Return to the Leadership Library to view the full directory of competencies and resources.