Focus on Results

Cathie Leimbach • October 4, 2022

Since we tend abandon more than half of our New Year’s Resolutions, we don’t achieve the goals we enthusiastically set for ourselves at the beginning of the new year. During the busyness of daily life, we often stop prioritizing our time to fulfill our resolutions. 

Similarly, many organizations fail to achieve all the goals they set during annual planning.  Sometimes this is due to changes in the business environment. More commonly it is a lack of focus. It can be tempting to do the tasks that are in front of us, to do seemingly urgent tasks first so we can then focus on more important work. However, the little tasks often take so much time that we seldom get the important work completed. Despite being frustrated at quarter end with our mediocre progress, we repeat our ineffective approach again and again.  How can we overcome this negative cycle?

Success comes with consistently focusing on results. At the beginning of every work day, read your organization’s mission and its current goals. Remind yourself exactly what you are to achieve every day or every week towards organizational success. Most people say they are not clear what is expected of them at work day-by-day. 

For an organization to achieve its goals, it is important for each individual to achieve theirs. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that each employee has one or two measurable goals that support one or more organizational goals. The next step is for the supervisor and employee to determine one to three measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be measured daily or weekly to assess if the employee is doing the work that is most likely to result in achieving the goals. Are the individuals focusing on tasks that will yield the desired results?

For someone with a goal of producing 500 widgets who works 50 weeks per year, the weekly goal is 10 widgets and the daily KPI would be 2 widgets. When they track daily, and on Monday they enter 1½ widgets in their tracking sheet, both the individual and the supervisor know that something has to be done differently on Tuesday because if this trend continues they will only produce 375 widgets in the year. Tracking a KPI daily or weekly, helps everyone focus on the intended results. When they are off track, they are alerted to the need to overcome the obstacles in their way so the annual goal can be met.

In summary, regularly measuring a key performance indicator positions individuals and organizations for workplace success. What is your big goal? What are the measurable daily or weekly key performance indicators you can focus on to get there?

The Futility of Leadership Perfection

By Cathie Leimbach • May 26, 2026
Many leaders quietly carry the pressure that they are supposed to have every answer. Be decisive. Stay strong. Never show uncertainty. Keep pushing forward no matter what. The problem is that approach often creates distance inside organizations instead of trust. In The Imperfect CEO , which was released on May 19, Jim Brown challenges the idea that leadership effectiveness comes from appearing flawless. Instead, he makes the case that healthy organizations are built by leaders willing to lead with clarity, humility, accountability, and honesty. Larry Siff, CEO of Neptune Advisors and C-Level Community, shared this perspective: “In The Imperfect CEO , Jim Brown doesn’t shy away from the messy reality of being a real person in charge, yet he shows how that honesty becomes a source of organizational health.” Edna Lopez, former Senior Executive at Gateway and Amway, wrote: “In every organization I've led, one truth has been constant: culture determines whether strategy ever sees daylight. The Imperfect CEO gets to the heart of that reality.” That connection between leadership and culture is exactly why the ideas in this book matter. In Conversational Management, we often see organizations struggle , not because leaders lack intelligence or effort, but because communication patterns quietly create confusion, defensiveness, disengagement, or fear. The healthiest organizations usually are not led by leaders who are aiming for perfection. They are led by leaders who know perfection is elusive. They acknowledge their limitations and the benefits of team collaboration. They humbly create honest conversations, clear expectations, accountability, and trust — even when it feels uncomfortable.  The wait is over for a down-to-earth book that dares to reveal common leadership imperfections and provides support for enhancing leadership impact! The Imperfect CEO is now available!

The Leadership Problem Most Companies Don’t Address

By Cathie Leimbach • May 19, 2026
Many organizations assume their biggest challenges are rapidly changing technology, customer retention, and employee initiative. But quite often, the root cause is people leadership problems. That’s one reason The Imperfect CEO by Jim Brown is so timely. Releasing today, May 19, the book explores how leaders build healthier organizations not by pretending to have all the answers, but by creating cultures grounded in trust, clarity, accountability, and meaningful conversations. Brian Besanceney, Chair, Board of Orlando Health, Inc., described the book this way: “Through vivid stories, real-world examples, and a model grounded in collaborative culture, Jim Brown gives leaders permission to wrestle honestly with the generational divides, misaligned targets, and cultural fractures that can too often sabotage high-potential organizations.” Greg Apple, CEO of Amgine.ai, connected the book to leadership beyond business alone: “In a fast-moving company, culture is everything. Jim Brown’s principles have helped our team lead with greater clarity and alignment. The Imperfect CEO distills those lessons brilliantly. Every leader should read it.” What stands out to me is how closely this book aligns with the principles behind Conversational Management. Healthy cultures are rarely built through policies alone. They are built through the quality of everyday leadership conversations — how expectations are clarified, how accountability is handled, how feedback is delivered, and how trust is strengthened over time. That’s why leadership development cannot stay theoretical. Culture changes conversation by conversation.  The Imperfect CEO is an easy-to-read business fable that illustrates common people leadership challenges and provides suggestions for overcoming them. Order your copy today and start building healthier leadership conversations inside your organization.