Behavior #6: Deliver Results, page 172.
Summary: Behavior #6 – Deliver Results
- Establish a track record of results.
- Get the right things done.
- Make things happen.
- Accomplish what you’re hired to do.
- Be on time and within budget.
- Don’t overpromise and underdeliver.
- Don’t make excuses for not delivering.
Behavior #6 – Deliver Results
- People frequently ask me, “If you want to establish a relationship with a new client, what is the one thing you can do to build trust fastest?” Without hesitation I reply, “Deliver Results!” – Stephen M.R. Covey
- Results give you instant credibility and instant trust. They give you clout. They clearly demonstrate that you add value, that you can contribute, and that you can perform.
- With Deliver Results, we move from behaviors that are based primarily on character to those based primarily on competence.
- This behavior grows out of the principles of responsibility, accountability, and performance.
- The opposite of Deliver Results is performing poorly or failing to deliver.
- The counterfeit is delivering activities instead of results.
- Deliver Results is how you:
- Convert cynics
- Establish trust fast in a new relationship
- Gain flexibility and choices
- Restore trust quickly when it has been lost on the competence side
Clarify “Results” Up Front
- At times, I talk with people who deliver results but fail to get the response they expect. They anticipate a $1,000 deposit in the Trust Account but end up with a $10 deposit, or worse – a withdrawal. And they wonder why.
- In almost every case, it’s because they didn’t take the time upfront to establish clarity around what was expected. What they considered “good” or even “great” results were only “mediocre” to the people to whom they were delivered.
- In today’s economy, taking time to define results upfront is particularly vital because a large percentage of the workforce is employed in jobs where it’s often difficult to demonstrate measurable results. Thus, it’s important in each situation to define the results that will build trust, and then deliver those results – consistently, on time, and within budget.
Trust Tips
- On the left side of the bell curve, you see below-expectation delivery, revealing the need to strengthen Integrity, Capabilities, and, of course, Results – most often by defining them up front.
- On the right side, you see the delivery of plenty of Results, but with no consideration as to whether those results are even the ones you should be focused on (e.g., an employee working like crazy, but not on the boss’s priorities…).
Improving Your Ability to Deliver Results
- The next time you plan to Deliver Results, make sure you thoroughly understand the expectation. If you really want to build trust, you have to know what “results” mean to the person to whom you’re delivering.
- The next time you plan to commit to Deliver Results, stop and ask yourself if the commitment is realistic. To overpromise and underdeliver will make a withdrawal every time.
- With customers or with coworkers, try to anticipate needs in advance and deliver before the requests even come. Anticipating needs will give an added dividend to the deposit in the Trust Account.
