Leaders To Be Result Oriented Or People Oriented

Dear All
I am a HR professional working with one of the leading automotive companies of India.
I am looking forward to take a session for my team wherein i want to talk about whether leaders should focus more on results of on potential people.
Request everybody to give their inputs or share any reading material (ppt, doc, pdf) etc, if available.
Thanks for the support.

Some would call what I am doing now as spoon-feeding, which a number of our bloggers seem to depend upon. As I am not an HR expert, I searched the web using key words from your question and found many links at https://www.google.co.uk/#q=should+l...ted+or+results
Now, may I request you to kindly tell us what you think a leader should be and whether (s)he can be consistent in the use of one or the other.
I also appeal to other members not to kindly post their answers till the blogger has responded to mine.

Dear Simhan
Thanks for the quick response.
According to me, its difficult to quote on this because no particular style alone can promise success to the organization. It has to be in combinations.
As a leader, i believe one must focus first on people and their potential and then enable them to utilize it in doing the desired tasks effectively,

What should a leader do when the organisation is facing a downturn and could go bankrupt?

A result oriented leader may believe in the principle that ends will justify the means which means going whole hog for what he wants without caring as to how he achieves it.A people oriented leader may believe in the principle that means must be as pure as the ends which means that the people through whom he achieves the results must be as important as the results and that if he takes care of the people, the results will take care of themselves.Now I leave to your wisdom to decide which leader is better.
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour law Advisor

Hi,
You have a valid query, being a trainer i have been asked the same question a lot of times in my session.
Do look at Ken Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model for the probable answer.
I am mentioning probable answer as this would vary according to individual, the team member and the situation.
Apart from this you could also look for answers in HBR Classic on Leadership.
Regards,
Rajiv

Leaders utilize people to achieve results. So, they have to be people oriented. This includes picking up the right people, grooming them appropriately, giving them their goals & targets and enabling them to achieve (by providing right tools & processes)..
A people oriented leader does not, however, mean a non-result oriented person; such a leader may not be hesitant to get rid of people who are non-performers. As a leader, it is their business to ensure timely achievement of all objectives.
A true leader is the owner of all failures, but passes on the credit of success to the people whom he/ she leads.

In my earlier post I responded on the basis of the headline of the thread under which you posed the query.On second reading of the post, I understood that the actual input which you needed, is on the query whether you should focus more on results of only potential people.My response in relation to this specific query is.:

An organisation consists of both star performers and steady performers. Normally the organisations tend to pay more attention to these star performers since they bring revenue and create brand for the company.and meet company's challenges.They are provided with all opportunities to grow like special training and mentoring, given more responsibilities, groomed to head critical functions.However they constitute about 20% or 25% of the organisation.An organisation does not merely run because of these 1/4th super category employees.To deliver critical services or functions, there needs to be performed myriad routine and supportive or ancillary functions.These functions are carried out by the steady performers. These steady performers may not exceed the expectations of the management or impact bottom line as star performers but they are as much important as blood, bones and nerves to enable the key five senses of the body (sense of sight, hearing, taste,& touch etc) to perform their functions, These steady performer constitute 75% to 80% of the organisation.They too add value to the organisation in their own right though they may not fall in critical value category.Therefore an organisation cannot ignore these 80% of it's work force as it may impact the critical functions ultimately and if it does, it does so at it's own peril.Therefore an organisation needs also to design programmes to enhance their skills or atleast to hone up their existing skills.Who knows there may emerge a star performer from them if right opportunities are provided to him.An organisation shall not risk ignoring these steady majority and develop them along with star performers.

Hope this helps.

B.Saikumar