What is the one thing leaders must never forget? That they have to deliver results.

Experienced, qualified, educated, and well-positioned leaders can lose their jobs because they did not deliver the organization’s expected results. Such was the case involving EasyJet, a British multinational low-cost airline group.

Apparently, the chief operating officer resigned after much chaos around flight scheduling, cancellations, and failing to deliver “a safe and reliable operation this summer.” You can read more about it here.

Expected results vary by industry, by company, by level of responsibility, and numerous individual factors. Financial results, culture and value performance, and execution of strategies are just a few areas of focus.

Leadership Tip
Know exactly what is expected by those leading your organization, then concentrate on achieving those results, plus some.

It’s critical to clearly understand the short-, mid-, and long-term expectations required, then find ways to meet those expectations. Once you have clarity on this, be sure to get clear on the proper measurement of those expectations. Some are easy to measure; some are not.

As an example, expecting a business to grow 15% this year is easily tracked; expanding your operation by 40% within three years is harder to quantify.

Evaluating your progress toward meeting expectations starts with looking at your calendar and asking these questions:

• How much of your time is spent in the weeds of your business?
• Are you spending the appropriate amount of time on each of your short-, mid-, and long-term expectations?
• What are you not doing that you should be doing?

Yes, it’s important to develop and refine your leadership skills as well as build your team. But never forget about the priority of putting it all together to deliver the results expected of you.