Have you ever sat down at your desk, stared at your computer and thought “how on earth am I going to do this?”
If that description applies to you, you’re not alone.
For years, people have debated over the best way to complete tasks. While there isn’t a set-in stone answer, an outcomes-focused mindset comes pretty close.
Imagine you’re driving your kids to their sporting events on the weekend and you’re programming Google Maps to some location that is almost always in whoop whoop.
Once you’ve plugged your destination in, Google Maps offers you three routes: one that’s 25 minutes, one that’s 30 minutes and one that’s 35 minutes.
Which option are you going to choose? Obviously, the most efficient, right?
This is essentially what an outcomes-focused mindset is. Without a destination you wouldn’t have been able to figure out the best way to reach it.
Setting goals for your business and projects allows you to pave a clear and efficient pathway towards achieving them.
The benefits of employing an outcomes-focused mindset can be summarised into 5 points:
1. Maximise Efficiency
An outcomes-focused mindset allows you to effectively allocate time and resources, allowing you to achieve goals in the most efficient manner. Say you’ve set a goal to increase new memberships by 12% in the next quarter. This goal provides a benchmark to work towards, and requires very different resource allocation and tactics than a goal to convert members to a higher tier.
2. Enhance Communication
Adopting an outcomes-focused mindset enhances your decision-making ability, thereby benefiting communication with your patrons and team members. Establishing a clear goal and describing how you intend to achieve it increases decision-making clarity, effectively motivating you to make decisions that meet specific goals. It also enables you to break down larger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks.
3. Facilitate Teamwork
Having an outcome that your whole team works towards enables members to effectively collaborate with one another, enhancing the quality of work they produce and creating opportunities for growth and development. Make sure the goals you set clearly benefit all parties. The example goal above on new memberships, for example, may require staff training on new lead generation software. To increase buy in, make sure to communicate the value this has for each member of your team.
4. Increase Productivity and Results
Through the creation of an environment that facilitates teamwork and employee development, an outcomes-focused mindset increases engagement amongst employees, ultimately leading to the production of a higher standard of work. Many people are outcome-focused by disposition, and have a higher need to understand the bigger picture of tasks. Learn to identify these members in your team and provide them with opportunities to encourage others and champion your goals.
5. Foster Innovation
Implementing an outcomes-focused mindset will foster an environment that encourages collaboration and growth, essential for the creation of new and innovative ideas. Facilitating open discussion and cooperation amongst employees by scheduling regular team meetings, allows team members to discuss the varied approaches in which a goal can be achieved. This sharing of ideas encourages creativity and problem solving, leading to the creation of new and innovative approaches.
The effective application of this mindset will not only enable you to find ways to achieve goals, it will allow you to surpass them.
For more information on how to implement an outcomes-focused mindset in your workplace, including identifying and encouraging this mindset in employees, developing marketing and communications goals and cultivating this mindset in your own management techniques contact us via mobile or email.