Outcome-Based Leadership Plays Offense
When you play offense, you are moving forward to score.
You play against the defense.
The defense defends.
They’re on the defensive.
In life, when you are defensive, you are concerned with justifying actions or words, according to Professor Google.
It’s a form of protection. We protect and justify ourselves.
Our minds are hard-wired to protect and defend. It’s our go-to on default.
This is what holds us back.
Slows us down.
Distracts us.
And keeps us from what we really want.
Being on the defense misses the point.
What’s the point?
We all want to win the game of life.
No game is won on defense.
We win when we play offense.
Knowing the outcome you want without needing to defend.
Outcome-based leading is choosing the offense.
What are the outcomes you are creating this week?
You can choose the offense instead of defending with each interaction, engagement, uncomfortable conversation, and annoying email.
Before reacting, ask yourself what is the ultimate outcome you want.
When you do, you play the long game.
This is about winning, not in the moment or with one conversation or email.
Being on the offense is also being resourceful.
I recently asked a client the outcome she wanted from a challenging situation.
As she thought about it and began to think through her options, she moved from what was wrong and who was to blame to ideation, creation, possibility, and clarity for the future she wanted.
Instead of coming from a place of being right or from hurt feelings, she got curious and focused on the vision she wanted for the business.
She saw that while this was challenging, there was more opportunity for her outside of this one challenge.
While she wanted to defend her position, she decided to focus on the future and bold outcomes rather than the current distracting drama.
When you are intentional and focused on outcomes, perceived risks become less risky because the potential rewards are great.
This week make the choice to choose the offense.
Here are a few dos and don’ts to help get you on the offense before having a challenging conversation.
Energetic Conversation Don’ts
Stop trying to win.
Stop ruminating. You end up wasting time on negative energy instead of having a conversation that moves you positively forward.
Stop worrying about being liked. It’s one of the reasons you delay or go silent. Being liked is people-pleasing, which is unproductive for you and them.
Stop making up stories in your head about what they might say or how they may react.
Don’t make it about them. Make it about the future.
Don't assume you know their story. You know the first three letters of assumption. Unless it can be proven in a court of law, it is not fact. It’s opinion.
Never have an energetic conversation in the heat of the moment. Working from negative emotions will not generate positive outcomes.
Energetic Conversation Do’s
Start by deciding on the outcomes that will serve both of you, your relationship, and your business moving forward.
Start by taking a deep breath. Lower your voice and slow down your speech.
Start mapping back from the outcomes you want to create.
Start to get curious. While you feel bad about what they did, how they made you feel, or a problem they created, it’s likely their intention was not nefarious, mean-spirited, or negatively intended to mess things up.
Be open to being vulnerable in pursuit of better outcomes for both of you. This can be the hardest part if you are stuck in ego and being right.
Share your intentions and outcomes for the conversation and your feelings about them.
Share what’s at risk for you, for them, and for the business.
Ask for their thoughts, listen, and validate by mirroring back what they say.
Share a recommendation for a resolution.
Ask for their feedback.
Ask for their commitment and state yours.
Energetic conversations with the best possible outcomes and the least amount of fallout come from outcome-based thinking.
If you are considering working with a High-Performance Success Coach or want to know more about the components of a coaching engagement, let’s get on a coaching call. As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, Executives, and Teams, my proven engagement method is highly results driven.
The question I get most frequently is, ‘What results can I achieve?’ Here’s what one client shared:
“Coaching is by far the most ROI-positive investment you can make in yourself. Do it! Even if you go in with a specific issue or question, you will be amazed by how the process can change your thinking about who you are, your skills, and where you want to go.”
You can wait for life to no longer be hard. If you are a dreamer and a doer, let’s have a conversation.
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