Results Matter Most

Winning results, no matter what challenges are thrown at our business...

Engaging Tweets

Time to embrace a new way of working to protect the future of your business

Why risk the future of your business by not allowing your team to work where and when they want?

If your team achieve the same results, does it matter where and when they do their work?

Learn from the enforced change to our way of working in 2020 and concentrate on the results of your business

Stop thinking your team are more efficient in the office

How to learn from the enforced changes to way we work that spring 2020 brought…

Protect the future of your business by focusing on the output of your team, not their hours worked

Home working works – allow your team flexibility and secure the future of your business

When you allow your team flexibility the reward will be evident in the results of your business

Focus on your team and the results they achieve for business survival

Make the future of your business all about the results of your team

Trust your team to deliver the results to help your business survive and thrive

Why risk the future of your business by not allowing your team to work where and when they are happiest?

Stop thinking that your business results rely on your team being in the office

Time to start looking at the results of your business and not the hours your team are working

How to embrace the results of your business without the traditional office hours

Because your business results matter, allow your team to achieve these results when and where they want

A McKinsey study shows that the traditional 9-5 office-based worker is not the future for your business

Set your employees the right targets and allow them to achieve them irrespective of their hours worked

Give your people the freedom to choose when and where they work

Stop focusing on the location of your team, focus on the results of your team

Stop focusing on the time your team works and focus on the results they achieve

Controlling the time and location of work is a myth

Focus on the effort and quality of the work your team achieves rather than the time and location

How did a Brazilian manufacturing company grow with no rules?

Times to learn from a successful Brazilian manufacturing company that results matter

What happens when you run a business where the employees make the decisions – learn from the success of Semco

Why risk the future of your business by not learning from some of the principles installed at Semco, a Brazilian manufacturing company

If you give your employees freedom, what happens to your business?

Results matter more than counting the minutes worked, Ricardo Semler changed the fortunes of Semco with this simple message…

Make the changes to your business that allow you to focus on results only, like Semco did…

Don’t allow time-sledging to profit in your business

Time to remove the time-sledging that lurks in your business

Don’t let the results of your business suffer because of time-sledging

Performance and results matter more than the time and location of the work

Usher in the winds of change in your business and stop the time-sledging holding back your results

Commitment to work should not be measured by the location and time of that work

Encourage your people to work wherever they want, whenever they want to ensure the future of your business

Make the most of the ‘work from home’ way of life and build a results only business

The results of your business determine its success

Make a Results Only Work Environment the future of your business

Your business results can be achieved no matter when and where your team work

Drive up the results of your business by focusing on the work your team achieve

Hours and time don’t matter in your business – quality and effort will secure your future

LinkedIn Updates

1. From the spring of 2020 we were forced by the global pandemic to very quickly (overnight almost), adjust the way we all work. For many businesses, the change meant that all of their team were now working from home indefinitely. So how has your business adjusted to this change and to the remote working environment? Click here to learn more about how remote and flexible working can have a positive effect on your team and your business.

2. If I had asked you before Covid-19 how you felt about all of your team working from home, what would have been your response? Many business owners and managers were not in favour of it, believing that some members of their team used it as an excuse to work less, or ‘have a day off’ and that the work done at home would not be as good as the work achieved in the office. Maybe you felt like this? But if your team achieve the same results, does it matter where and when they do their work. Click here to learn more.

3. The immediate need to work from home caused by the pandemic in March 2020 changed the way we work as a country and affected the way work is accomplished. For some working from home was a challenge, many had never done it before, others had, but on a very adhoc basis. What were the challenges for your team and how did you adjust? Click here to learn that allowing your team to be flexible and when and where the work could help you survive the uncertain times ahead. Make the future of business all about the results of your team.

4. Does it really matter when and where your team get their work done? The time and the location are irrelevant as long as the work is done, the targets are hit, the deadlines are met, and the results of your business are achieved. Click here to discover that what matters to your business survival and any future growth is the performance of your team and the results they achieve. It does not matter if this is done in the office or at the kitchen table.

5. How have the results of your team been since the spring of 2020? Does being in the office mean that your team achieve the better results than otherwise? Is the office the place where the best work is done? The importance of human contact and physical interaction cannot be underestimated but does the office environment affect the results of your team? Click here to How to embrace the results of your business without the traditional office hours

6. A recent McKinsey study shows that the traditional 9-5 office-based worker is not the future for your business, and that in fact most employees enjoy working from home and actually find they are more efficient. So what does this say about the future of the traditional office based way of working? Click here to learn more about the McKinsey report and the interesting questions is raises about the future of the way our teams will work to get the best results.

7. From March 2020 most office-based businesses proved that the Monday-Friday, 9-5, in the office, is no longer necessary. Now businesses have managed and adapted to this new way of working, going back to the former, regimented way of working seems needless, unattractive and unhealthy. And if we force it upon team members who prefer the flexible way of working, we risk losing some of our best people. Click here to learn more.

8. Set free the adaptability, performance and entrepreneurship that lives inside each and every one of your team and build new processes that put respect for your team AND a result focus to the fore. AND allow your people to choose when they work and where they work to achieve these results, remember some of them may want to work in the office… Click here to learn that results matter more than the amount of time working and the location of work.

9. When it comes to the way your team work, the landscape has changed. Some of your team may be back working in the office, feeling this is where they are most productive. Some may prefer and even enjoy working from home, with the flexibility this gives them, they may also feel that this is where they are most productive. Click here to learn that your team need to and should be allowed to work where they want and when they want, as long as they are delivering the results you want.

10. What happens when you run a business that focuses on the results of your team, more than the hours they work and the location they do this work in. Richard Semler introduced some revolutionary ideas when he took over at Semco, a Brazilian manufacturing business. He gave the power back to the people who made his business successful – his team. Click here to learn the principles Semler installed and how to make them work in your business too…

11. If you watch cricket you will have heard of sledging – it’s the comments made by players to members of the other team. These comments are insulting or verbally intimidating and meant to sow seeds of doubt, uncertainty or even fear into their game, meaning they are more likely to make a mistake, handing the advantage to the other team. Click here to learn what this has got to do with the future of your business.

12. Many of your team and maybe even you associate time with performance and commitment. If one of your team does long hours then you assume that they are working hard, have a full work load and are achieving all their targets. Early starts and long hours show commitment to the cause – yes? But what if this is not true, what if your best employees are the ones that can choose when and where they work. Click here to learn how to grow your business by removing the time sledging that lurks within it.

13. The home working imposed on us all in March 2020 changed all pre-conceptions, it changed our way of thinking. It challenged the old ways of working and proved (mostly) that there are new ways to work and they can be just as (if not more) successful. Click here to learn more.

14. The remote working experience caused by the pandemic in 2020 showed where work is done and when it is done matters less than we thought and that working in the office, every day from 9-5 isn’t the only way to get work done. Click here to encourage your people to work wherever they want, whenever they want to ensure the future of your business

Facebook Posts

Blog Posts

BLOG 1 – Why results matter the most in your business

From the spring of 2020 we were forced by the global pandemic to very quickly (overnight almost), adjust the way we all work.

For some businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors the pandemic meant working from home was a non-starter as their business type and model meant that this adjustment could not be made.

For many other businesses, the change meant that all of their team were now working from home indefinitely.

So how has your business adjusted to this change and to the remote working environment?

If I had asked you before Covid-19 how you felt about all of your team working from home, what would have been your response?

Many business owners and managers were not in favour of it, believing that some members of their team used it as an excuse to work less, or ‘have a day off’ and that the work done at home would not be as good as the work achieved in the office.

Maybe you felt like this?

However, the concerns and fears that many managers had about their team working from home have not always materialised.

The work has got done, deadlines have been met and the team have adapted to the new ways of working and communicating together.

It is likely that the uncertainty of the future and the reality of living with Covid-19 means that this way of working could go on for many months…

So, is it time you made the most of this new way of working?

Click here to learn that your business will survive and thrive when you focus on the results of your team rather than where and when they do the work.

BLOG 2 – Success in your business starts with trusting your team to get the job done

The immediate need to work from home caused by the pandemic in March 2020 changed the way we work as a country and affected the way work is accomplished.

For some working from home was a challenge, many had never done it before and been used to the daily commute and the 9-5 routine.

Others had done it before, but on a very adhoc basis.

The challenges were also compounded by the fact that many had children at home.

What were the challenges for your team and how did you adjust?

It forced us to come up with new and inventive ways of working.

I know for example of people who worked very early in the morning, then dealt with the children and went back to working in the evening.

I know of people who worked in the mornings while their wife or husband had the children and then they swapped.

For many this flexibility was the only way they could get their work done – but the key here is – they did get their work done…

So, does it really matter when and where your team get their work done?

The time and the location are irrelevant as long as the work is done, the targets are hit, the deadlines are met, and the results of your business are achieved.

What matters to your business survival and any future growth is the performance of your team and the results they achieve. It does not matter if this is done in the office or at the kitchen table.

If you asked your team how they felt about the ‘new normal’ way of working what would they say?

Some might say they are more productive, efficient and get more work done at home.

Some might say they like the flexibility working from home affords them.

But this goes directly against the 9-5 office working regime we have been so used to.

But change is good right?

Click here to read the results of a recent McKinsey research study which suggests that employees feel liberated by the new ways they are working and how this can work for your business too, when you focus on the results.

BLOG 3 – Research might be the end of the office based 9-5 traditional way of working

Before the spring of 2020 the traditional way of working for over 90% of office-based workers was to commute to an office, start work at 9am, sit behind a desk, surrounded by a team, maybe attend meetings, leave the office at 5pm and travel home.

This was done Monday – Friday, almost without exception.

Was this the case in your business?

During these hours of work at the office, you probably assumed that your team were effective and, if they had been working anywhere else, like home, or on a train, or in a café, they would be less effective.

So how have the results of your team been since the spring of 2020?

Does being in the office mean that your team achieve the better results than otherwise?

Is the office the place where the best work is done?

The importance of human contact and physical interaction cannot be underestimated but does the office environment affect the results of your team?

A recent McKinsey Consulting research study suggests:

80% of the people questioned said they enjoy working from home
41% say that they are ‘more productive than they had been before
28% say they are ‘as productive’

The McKinsey report confirms “…employees liberated from long commutes and travel have found more productive ways to spend that time, enjoyed greater flexibility in balancing their personal and professional lives, and decided that they prefer to work from home rather than the office”.

So, what is the future for the traditional ‘office based’ way of working in your business?

Click here to learn more about the McKinsey report and the interesting questions is raises about the future of the way our teams will work to get the best results.

BLOG 4 – Time to make the results of your business your single most important focus

The results of your business matter more than anything else – yes?

If your business does not achieve revenue targets, acquire new customers and ultimately remain profitable, then its future is under threat.

From March 2020 most office-based businesses proved that the Monday-Friday, 9-5, in the office, is no longer necessary.

Now businesses have managed and adapted to this new way of working, going back to the former, regimented way of working seems needless, unattractive and unhealthy. And if we force it upon team members who prefer the flexible way of working, we risk losing some of our best people.

Why not instead make the shift from an hours-worked focus to outcomes-achieved?

How could this work in your business?

Set free the adaptability, performance and entrepreneurship that lives inside each and every one of your team and build new processes that put respect for your team AND a result focus to the fore.

AND allow your people to choose when they work and where they work to achieve these results, remember some of them may want to work in the office…

Results matter more than the amount of time working and the location of work.

Forget location. Forget time.

Stop paying people for activity, start paying them for outcomes
Stop paying people for their time, start paying them for the work done
Work out crystal clear expectations about the work your team need to do every day, every week, every month and every year
Then TRUST them to get on with it

Click here to learn that what your team gets done matters most to the future of your business.

BLOG 5 – Semco show us the way when it comes to a Results Only Work Environment

When it comes to the way your team work, the landscape has changed.

Some of your team may be back working in the office, feeling this is where they are most productive. Some may prefer and even enjoy working from home, with the flexibility this gives them, they may also feel that this is where they are most productive.

The key for you as a business owner and manager is to embrace this. Your team need to and should be allowed to work where they want and when they want, as long as they are delivering the results you want.

Returning back to the office 9-5 regime may make you feel more secure; you may feel that you have more control over your team because you can see what they are doing; you may feel more in control of the results this way.

But this control is a myth!

A business research study interviewed 1,989 full-time UK office workers all aged over 18.

It asked them how long they are productive every day?

The answer was on average ‘2 hours and 53 minutes’ of actual productive work every day! So out of the 8 hours of office time, the average person is only effective for 31% of the time!

So perhaps controlling the time and location of work doesn’t mean the best productivity. Doesn’t the effort, level and quality of your team’s work have a greater impact on your business than the time and location in which they work?

Here is a case to prove this point.

Semco is a Brazilian manufacturing business. When Ricardo Semler took over from his father in the 1980s aged just 21, he had ideas about the future of the business, that at the time were considered outrageous.

He observed that the team got no joy from the work, he described them as ‘crushed, just performing the task, counting the minutes until lunch and then the time to leave’.

Semco had historically been controlled by the powerful, with no room for creativity.

Semler’s arrival signalled a new chapter. He installed democratic management principles that put the people before the policies and processes. He increased the participation of the workers and encouraged them to be involved in the decisions made within the business, including setting their own targets and deciding when and where they worked.

The changes that Semler made meant that People and Results became a powerful combination which saw the team grow from 90 to 5000 people and the profits of the business grow over 20 years from $90m to $212m.

And in one of the most volatile economies in the world!

Radical but successful!

Click here to learn more about the changes made at Semco and how some of these ‘people first, results only’ principles can be applied to your business.

BLOG 6 – Drive out time-sledging in your business by driving up results and performance

If you watch cricket you will have heard of sledging – it’s the comments made by players to members of the other team. These comments are insulting or verbally intimidating and meant to sow seeds of doubt, uncertainty or even fear into their game, meaning they are more likely to make a mistake, handing the advantage to the other team.

What has this got to do with your business, I hear you ask?

Many of your team and maybe even you associate time with performance and commitment.

If one of your team does long hours then you assume that they are working hard, have a full work load and are achieving all their targets.

Early starts and long hours show commitment to the cause – yes? Even if they do little work.

Hence the jibes and snide comments you may hear fired at people working part-time or flexitime, or those moving to a results only approach.

‘nice of you to join us this morning… sorry this afternoon’

‘leaving already, you have only just got here’

‘since you don’t work every day, I have had to give this project to someone else’

‘well you would be up to speed but you don’t work Fridays and that is when the meeting was’

This is sledging in the work place – time-sledging.

And it happens a lot, probably without anyone realising it.

If you have part-time members of your team, it will have happened to them at some point.

They are made to feel guilty for the hours they work and made to feel like they don’t achieve the same results because they don’t do the traditional 9-5.

They might however be more effective than many of your full-time team!

Allow time-sledging in your business and you weaken people’s concentration, causing them to doubt themselves, make mistakes and underperform.

Allow time-sledging and you’re accepting and reinforcing a workplace that values time and appearances over genuine accomplishment.

Click here to learn how to ensure time-sledging is not present in your business and how to achieve a results only focus.

BLOG 7 – Managing in a results-only business, measure output, not time and location

Imagine before the spring of 2020, if one of your team had come later into the office after visiting some friends, when the rest of the team had arrived at 9am.

What would have been your reaction?

But yet, when most of the team left at 5pm that person stayed until 9pm, as they were the hours they chose to work and the hours they felt they were most productive.

Then imagine if that person had not come in at all but chose to do those hours from home.

What would have been your reaction?

The home working imposed on us all in March 2020 changed all pre-conceptions, it changed our way of thinking. It challenged the old ways of working and proved (mostly) that there are new ways to work and they can be just as (if not more) successful.

This remote working experience showed where work is done and when it is done matters less than we thought and that working in the office, every day from 9-5 isn’t the only way to get work done.

In their book ‘’Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It’ Cali Ressler and Jodi Thompson describe how they installed ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) at the electronics retail giant ‘Best Buy’ with dramatic results and suggest 4 steps to increasing the productivity of your people and the results of your business:

1. Stop thinking work is a place you go and spend time.

It’s the work that gets done that matters the most – obsess about the results for your people and your business

2. Remove the ‘time-sledging’ that is common-place in most businesses

If you don’t, you are condoning this behaviour of sniping at part-time/flexitime employees and accepting a workplace that values time and presence over actual work achieved

3. Together, get crystal clear on results

Ensure there is clarity and transparency on what needs to be achieved, by when and to what standard. This will ensure you achieve the results you want for your business

4. Let your people choose when and where they work

This ensures they work when they feel they are most productive, don’t worry about lost control – it’s a myth anyway

Click here for more about using Results Only Work Environment in your business.

Engaging E-mails

Business Breakthrough Subscriber Resources