Unlocking Success: Focus on Behaviors for Effective Leadership

Unlocking Success Focus on Behaviors for Effective Leadership

Jason is a senior leader in his company. He feels frustrated because Brian, one of his direct reports, “isn’t reliable” and has a “poor work ethic.”

As I explore this with him, the crux of the problem begins to emerge.

“Jason, I have no clue what ‘reliable’ and ‘poor work ethic’ mean. Could you tell me what Brian would be doing differently if he were reliable? Or if he had an exemplary work ethic?”

Jason pauses. “I’m not sure how to answer that. But some people around here just understand how to be good workers. Brian doesn’t.”

“Well, I hate to say this to you, but I have no idea what you mean by ‘good worker.’ I imagine that if I don’t know, and I’m asking you directly, Brian may not either.”

Jason looks at me. I can see he’s getting my point.

“Jason, what are the top two or three behaviors that Brian does (or doesn’t do) that are creating issues for you?”

Jason thinks for a moment. “Well, Brian is often unprepared for meetings. He doesn’t read the pre-meeting material and often doesn’t have information ready to give his own status updates. So it takes extra time in the meeting to catch him up. He also tends to disappear. We often don’t know where he is or what he’s doing. It can take forever to track him down when we need him. Last, he often forgets to complete some of the record-keeping related to his projects. This means when we try to bill the client, we have to chase after him for information.”

“Ok, so if Brian were prepared for meetings—meaning he had read the pre-meeting material and was ready to answer questions on his projects—that would help?” I ask.

“Yes!” Jason says.

“Alright, and if he consistently communicated where he was, would that help?”

“Yes, it would,” Jason answered.

“Do you need him to ask before he goes somewhere? Or does he just need to let you know where he’s at?”

“Actually, we don’t really need to know where he is. It would be enough if he answered the phone when we tried to reach him. He usually has his turned off.”

“Gotcha, so if he kept his phone on and responded when you contacted him, that would help?”

“Yes,” said Jason.

“And if he kept good records on his projects and sent complete billing information to you on time, would that resolve this issue? And if so, how would he know when ‘on time’ is?”

Jason thought again. “I see where you are going. Yes, if he filled out all the project forms and turned them in by the end of each Thursday, that would give us time to process and get invoices out on Monday. In fact, that would save us hours of time every week.”

“Ok, so to summarize, you would like Brian to consistently:

  • Come to meetings prepared, having reviewed all pre-meeting material, and ready to report his status updates.
  • Keep his phone on and respond when you contact him.
  • Provide all project records and billing information by the end of each Thursday.

If he did this, you’d feel like he was reliable and had a good work ethic?”

“That’s right,” Jason replied. “I think those changes would make a huge difference. He’s actually a great guy. People enjoy working with him. But these issues are frustrating.”

“Have you ever asked him, specifically, to do any of these things?”

“No, not really. I just assumed he should know.”

“Can you see how being specific in your expectations might help him understand what you are looking for? Also, do you see how it supports accountability? It will be clear to both of you if his performance improves or not.”

“I do. I can see that now. I guess I just feel like he should have known this,” Jason said.

“Well, we don’t know what he knew. But we do know he wasn’t meeting your expectations. And it sounds like those expectations may not have been clearly communicated. If you want to try to improve his performance, it helps to describe the changes you want to see. Don’t leave this to interpretation. Be specific. By shifting your focus on behaviors, you’re making success clear and actionable.”

Why Focus on Behaviors Matters

Most leaders are more vague than they think—both with setting direction and feedback. It takes some effort to define what success looks like to you. It can be easy to assume that others should just ‘get it.’

However, research shows that when expectations are clear, performance improves dramatically. Studies discussed in the MIT Sloan Management Review1, reveal that setting specific, ambitious goals moves average teams to the 80th percentile in performance, with further gains when goals are measurable and feedback is frequent. Additionally, Gallup 2has identified clear expectations as the most foundational driver of employee engagement.

By focusing on behaviors, you create clarity and accountability. You give your teams a clear path forward. Success becomes less mysterious and more repeatable. By helping people reflect on their actions, you encourage them to identify what works, learn from it, and do it again. When you make this shift to focus on behaviors, leadership becomes more structured and success more attainable.

Your Turn

Leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Take a moment today to reflect on your team. Is there an individual whose performance could improve? If so:

  1. Write down one or two specific behaviors you want to see consistently from them.
  2. Schedule a time to discuss these expectations and ask for their feedback.
  3. Plan regular follow-ups to reinforce progress and provide support.

Great leadership starts with clarity. When you articulate specific behaviors, you pave the way for accountability, growth, and results. Don’t leave success to interpretation—define it, share it, and watch your team performance jump. Start today and focus on behaviors to make meaningful changes.

Take good care,
Christian

1 https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/with-goals-fast-beats-smart/

2 https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/186164/employees-don-know-expected-work.aspx

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