Never Follow UpIf you fail to follow up on directions or performance, you will
inevitably find yourself reacting to unpleasant surprises.
Example: Let’s say you gave an assignment to someone on
Monday and it’s due on Friday. You say, “I need this on Friday
morning for a meeting.” Friday morning comes and you ask the
assigned person, “Where’s that information you were going to
give me this morning for the meeting?” The person looks at you
and says, “I forgot” or “It’s not done yet.” If you’re a yeller, you
yell. If you’re a crier, you cry. But who is really to blame? You
are! You didn’t follow up.
A crucial part of following up is setting objectives.
Example: You give someone an assignment on Monday
morning. As you hand her the assignment you say, “By
Wednesday, the first draft should be done. By Thursday, the
rewritten version should be done, and by Friday morning, the
whole thing should be completed.” Then you follow up. You
check on Wednesday to see if the project is on schedule. Then you
check on Thursday. If for some reason the project isn’t where it’s
supposed to be, you and your employee can then do the following:- Pinpoint what is preventing project flow (job overload,
lack of information, mind block, etc.). - Eliminate the impediment (reassign conflicting work,
brainstorm solutions, provide helpful materials, etc.). - Determine how to get back on schedule (overtime,
involvement of others, extended completion date).
Caution: Make sure you communicate that you’re not doing
this to control, but to follow up so that the responsible person
gets the best results.
Example
“Let’s just roll up our sleeves and tackle the problem
together, Deb. I know you are as anxious as I am to do the
project well and I want to see you succeed.”
Once you have implemented this procedure one or two
times with a team member, watch the awareness dawn on
her and note how she deals with future projects!
Coaching, Mentoring and Managing2
A crucial part of
following up is
setting objectives.