Category: The Power of Result-Oriented Tasks

It is important to understand the difference between those tasks that must be carried out in a business but which are not results-oriented and those tasks that are resultsoriented. Both types of processes are important but mistakes can be made when too much time is spent on tasks that do not bring results. Urgent tasks can grab your attention but urgent things are not always important and important things are not always urgent. Remember the 80/20 rule and make an effort to spend time on the 20% that is productive.

There is great value in results-oriented thinking and completing results-oriented tasks when it comes to getting things done and raising productivity. There are two main keys to aid you in arriving at the conclusion you want. The first key is action, for when you act, keeping the end in mind, you achieve. The second key is versatility – being multi-faceted in your abilities. This helps you handle whatever unexpected changes or difficulties which may occur, without becoming stressed.

There is a quotation which says, “Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your task” – and make that task results-oriented.

This involves thinking ahead and identifying what needs to be done to get the results you need. Unless you are absolutely clear about the results you want you will be ineffective. First, it is very important to think about and see the big picture, determine why you want a particular result and then plan how to go about achieving it. There must be purpose in your plan followed by action.

This rule applies in most fields of activity where 20 per cent of the resources produce 80 per cent of the result; put another way, 80% of outcomes will come from 20% of effort. Business management will save time, effort and resources if they understand this rule and it can be a powerful guide for them in their business. They should take the time to stand back, look at their business and study the actions performed each day to see where the results are coming from. It will become clear that a few actions are more effective than the others and significantly more effort should be invested in these areas.

Results-oriented tasks often only make up 5% of the business. It is important, therefore, to know precisely what those tasks are in your particular business and work on them to lift their percentage in business tasking. Knowing and making more use of your results-oriented tasks will give you the power to set vital priorities which will make the difference between failure, survival and success. Look at where the results are coming from and concentrate on these areas. When you are results focused you become purpose driven and action oriented.

What is meant by value? On a personal level you increase your value when you continue to improve yourself. There is a saying, “If you do what you have always done, you will be what you have always been”. By reducing negative thoughts and actions and focusing on establishing good habits you can bring huge value to your life. Be prepared to challenge yourself by personally developing your skills and by using time management wisely.

Results are always in direct proportion to effort. You can have all the experience in the world but if you haven’t built on that experience by keeping up to date with new technology, with your area of expertise and making yourself the very best you can be, your value will be mediocre. Productive performance comes from the values you develop deep within yourself, so if you want to be successful you must look to yourself first.

On the business front, productivity is the value of the business. When someone works for you they may be paid by the hour. But as Jim Rohn puts it, “He doesn’t get paid for the hour. He gets paid for the value that has been placed on the hour he works”. That person is paid for their performance which should lead to a result which adds value to the business. Part of the challenge for the business owner is to determine the right mix of process and results orientation in order to add the value needed to produce the greatest returns.

From a business point of view task management thinking and resultsoriented thinking are poles apart.

Task-oriented people can be very focused and committed to reaching the objective of completing their task. They are usually detail-oriented and their focus to achieve can be such that anyone questioning their activities will encounter opposition. They can be quite single-minded in their efforts. Some taskoriented people do see their tasks as important to attaining results and this is a good attitude because there are many tasks necessary to be completed in a business which, in themselves, do not seem to be part of the results-oriented area of the business, such as administration. Some task-oriented people do a task for the sake of completing a task without any thought for why the task was necessary in the first place and what end result is expected. Task-oriented people take a job and immediately break it down into specific tasks and then they complete each task one by one. Although everyone needs to complete tasks, some task-oriented people tend to see the task as ends in themselves.

Unlike task management, results-oriented thinking has tremendous power and produces the outcomes that are desired.

Results-oriented people focus on the desired outcome. When asked what they are doing they are more likely to give you the overall picture including the outcome reached.

The story is told of the building of a cathedral:
A man walked down a street and came to a building site. A workman passed by and the man said to him, “What are you doing?” The workman replied curtly, “I’m laying bricks” and he moved on. The man walked through the site and a little further on met another workman and asked him, “What are you doing?” The workman was in a hurry and as he went by he said, “I’m pouring concrete, don’t bother me.” The man turned around and saw a third workman walking towards him carrying planks of wood and whistling, so he asked him the same question, “What are you doing?” The workman, with a wide grin, said enthusiastically, “I’m building a cathedral.” It’s very obvious that the first two men were task-oriented and were there just to do the job they were being paid for. The third man, although also there to do a task, had caught the vision and saw himself as a part of a completed project. He was very definitely results-oriented.

Too often in business, people get caught up too easily in the mundane day to day activities and lose sight of what should be their main focus – achieving results. This leads to confusion between their activities (the processes) and their accomplishments (the results). Many business people have so many strings to their bow they believe they must be doing well because they are so busy. Too late they find that all that business did not bring in any desired results.

There are several kinds of process-oriented people. There is the person who understands the results that are required but insists on doing it through due process. Unfortunately, because they like the idea of going through the right processes they get bogged down in the tasks and activities they think they need to do and never quite get through to the desired result. Another kind of process-oriented person may not feel good doing the necessary things and might not give his best to the tasks he is given. This could lead to always trying to go the easy way and avoiding the more difficult but sometimes necessary way of getting to the results stage.

Results-oriented people tend to keep the end in mind and they look for the fastest way to get there. They want a result and the direction taken to get it is not important so they focus on the kind of action that will move them towards the result they want. This means that their way to get things done stays very flexible. If one approach doesn’t work they will try another. They don’t get stuck in any of the processes others deem necessary.

A most important point to note is that when they have achieved the results that they wanted they will feel good about themselves and when they feel good about themselves they get more done. So, productivity with an end in mind brings results and results bring more productivity. It is selfperpetuating.

The skills of both results-oriented and task-oriented people are both very important in the world of business, but there are some advantages to the results-oriented approach. One is flexibility and the other is the need for action. The anticipation of a result releases a lot of potential energy which tends to make the journey quite enjoyable/ exciting??? Thus, when you begin to focus on results, your life will change because you become more productive faster and with less effort.

Business meetings are another area where participants can get bogged down in process. How many meetings have you attended where you have been left confused and wondering, “What was the point of the exercise?” A good meeting is one where the participants agree and commit to produce an outcome that is specifically measurable and sustainable. Everyone should know the result they are aiming for and each person should know their task and the time frame they have been given to complete it. If there is no confusion about what has to be done there will be less stress and more will be done in a given time. If everyone knows and carries out their task with the end result in mind, they are valuable to themselves and they are giving value to the business.

On a personal level more people have become aware of the effects of their thinking and they are looking to make a paradigm shift in their attitudes to life. As they change their thinking they are discovering the remarkable power that is results-oriented thinking. People are taking responsibility for the results produced by their old thinking habits and as they realise that they have created their reality by their own thoughts and subsequent actions, they are determined to make the changes necessary.

Results-oriented thinking trains the subconscious mind to create your reality as you want it. You have learned that what you send out returns to you and as you want only to experience positive things such as love, health and success, you must train the subconscious mind to bring back exactly what you tell it to bring you.
Being results-oriented is important for business owners because they have to constantly keep the business running at a high level. They must constantly focus on results to be able to make progress and to creatively grow their business. They know that where there is progress there is prosperity. Some processes are necessary but a result-oriented business person knows where they fit into the business how to keep the balance.

To succeed, a business needs to establish processes which keep management up to date with how the business is progressing. In order for a business to improve its performance it must understand
how it does business. There are three types of processes and these are: Management (e.g. corporate governance); Operational (e.g. delivery value); Support Processes (e.g. accounting).

All three processes are necessary to carry on business but the operational processes are the core business because they deliver value and, therefore, they are results-oriented.

What are your plans today? Are you sure you are working on the right tasks or are you just choosing the first task that comes to mind? Have you checked on all your projects and do you know how they are progressing?

These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself each day. There are so many tasks that each business must perform daily, weekly and monthly and yet only a very small proportion of these tasks will actually be results-oriented, that is, tasks that will produce results and value for the business. Daily you need to appraise your performance and make sure you are working on the right tasks, producing the right performance and getting the right results. You need to know what you want to accomplish and the best methods to use to get there; it is about what you do, why you do it and how to go about it.

A business must plan, organise, prioritise, lead, communicate and keep track of the projects, tasks and issues that will always arise. It is about doing meaningful work effectively and efficiently and it is important to work with people who are talented and willing to contribute value to accomplishing the required results. Performance can be improved by always keeping the end in mind and spending as much time as possible on tasks that are results-oriented. Balance is needed, however, as it is important that you maintain focus over all systems and processes to keep the business working efficiently.