Focus on Results

Cathie Leimbach • October 4, 2022

Since we tend abandon more than half of our New Year’s Resolutions, we don’t achieve the goals we enthusiastically set for ourselves at the beginning of the new year. During the busyness of daily life, we often stop prioritizing our time to fulfill our resolutions. 

Similarly, many organizations fail to achieve all the goals they set during annual planning.  Sometimes this is due to changes in the business environment. More commonly it is a lack of focus. It can be tempting to do the tasks that are in front of us, to do seemingly urgent tasks first so we can then focus on more important work. However, the little tasks often take so much time that we seldom get the important work completed. Despite being frustrated at quarter end with our mediocre progress, we repeat our ineffective approach again and again.  How can we overcome this negative cycle?

Success comes with consistently focusing on results. At the beginning of every work day, read your organization’s mission and its current goals. Remind yourself exactly what you are to achieve every day or every week towards organizational success. Most people say they are not clear what is expected of them at work day-by-day. 

For an organization to achieve its goals, it is important for each individual to achieve theirs. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that each employee has one or two measurable goals that support one or more organizational goals. The next step is for the supervisor and employee to determine one to three measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be measured daily or weekly to assess if the employee is doing the work that is most likely to result in achieving the goals. Are the individuals focusing on tasks that will yield the desired results?

For someone with a goal of producing 500 widgets who works 50 weeks per year, the weekly goal is 10 widgets and the daily KPI would be 2 widgets. When they track daily, and on Monday they enter 1½ widgets in their tracking sheet, both the individual and the supervisor know that something has to be done differently on Tuesday because if this trend continues they will only produce 375 widgets in the year. Tracking a KPI daily or weekly, helps everyone focus on the intended results. When they are off track, they are alerted to the need to overcome the obstacles in their way so the annual goal can be met.

In summary, regularly measuring a key performance indicator positions individuals and organizations for workplace success. What is your big goal? What are the measurable daily or weekly key performance indicators you can focus on to get there?

4 Leadership Behaviors That Drive Trust, Performance, and Accountability

By Cathie Leimbach • March 31, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they lack knowledge. They struggle because leadership opportunities show up in daily conversations —and those moments are easy to miss. The difference between average and high-performing teams often comes down to four leadership behaviors: 1. Build Trust Through Everyday Conversations Trust is built in small moments. Listen to concerns Ask thoughtful questions Follow through Address issues quickly and respectfully 🤝 Trust grows through consistent, everyday conversations. 2. Reinforce What Good Looks Like People repeat what gets recognized. Be specific: “I appreciated how you handled that client issue quickly—that made a difference.” 🔒 Clarity + recognition = stronger performance. 3. Address Problems Early—Kindly and Clearly Avoiding issues creates bigger ones. Keep it simple: What was expected? What happened? What needs to change? 👥 Clear, timely conversations reduce drama and improve results. 4. Support People So They Can Succeed Your role is to help your team succeed. Clarify priorities Remove obstacles Provide resources Coach progress 🔍 When people have clarity and support, performance follows. The Real Lever: Conversations None of this requires new systems. It happens in everyday interactions— 1:1s, quick check-ins, and follow-ups. Better conversations → better results. Quick Reflection Which one would make the biggest difference for you right now? Build trust Reinforce performance Address problems early Support success 👉 Join our next 60-minute Leadership Conversation – Inspiring Employee Performance on Monday, April 6, at 3:00 pm ET. Not a webinar. A working session with other leaders looking at what’s actually happening on their teams—and how small shifts in daily conversations change performance fast. If you're curious what even a 10% shift in consistency could look like for your team… this is a good place to start.

Three Small Shifts That Change Everything

By Cathie Leimbach • March 24, 2026
You don’t need to make big changes in your leadership practices to get better results. Often, it’s small shifts in everyday leadership conversations that quietly change how work gets done. Here are three that work:  1. Make priorities clear Start meetings by stating current priorities. That creates focus right away and helps conversations stay on topic. 2. Ask instead of solve Instead of answering an employee’s questions, ask, “What are your suggestions?” Such questions encourage employee thinking and stronger follow-through. 3. Hold short monthly one-on-one check-ins Meeting with each employee one-on-one allows the regular review of goals, progress, and obstacles. These short conversations surface issues early and keep everyone aligned. These small habits keep teams steady and focused. Your challenge this month: Pick one shift and try it. Notice what changes in clarity, buy-in, or accountability. Sometimes the difference between teams that struggle and teams that move smoothly comes down to a few simple leadership conversations happening consistently. 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation on March 30th at 3:00 PM to see how small shifts in everyday leadership conversations can quickly improve clarity, ownership, and results.