CHAPTER 2Result Orientation

WHAT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED in sports is not always taken into account in everyday professional life. In football, baseball, soccer, tennis, or golf, the only thing that counts are the results. If you play beautifully and lose, the reference to the “beautiful game” is usually not very meaningful. If you deliver an exceptional presentation and don't get the job, or don't convince your superiors, you have lost. This is why the principle of result orientation is so important. Successful people always focus their thoughts and actions on results. They already have the end in mind at the beginning.

There are many parallels between top athletes and consultants, which is why top sports can serve as a model of success for professionals. Especially when it comes to understanding the principle of result orientation and integrating it into a professional's everyday work.

You might object at this point that the results will not always meet your client's expectations and ask yourself what the use of the principle of result orientation actually is? In this case, it is especially important because you're already in the mindset of how you can “sell” an “undesirable” result in a positive way. If you start thinking about how the client might react to the result of your work only shortly before the presentation, you have lost valuable time during the preparation.

Get Soft Skills for the Professional Services Industry now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.