We’ve all been there….. And, likely, “done that.”
I know I have.
Sitting in a meeting. Having a conversation with someone.
Somebody gets asked to do something. Someone proactively offers to do something….
“I’ll send that to you after the meeting.”
“Let me take a note and get back to you on that.”
“Can you follow up on that?”
And… silently, everyone knows that nobody is going do much, or any, of it after the meeting is over. Yet, everyone verbally agreed to it in the meeting.
The isolated effect of not following through on a few items from one or two meetings may not be material.
The Importance of Follow-Through
However, the cumulative effect of a lack of follow-through is that “doing what you say are going to do” becomes optional or, worse, unlikely.
Nobody believes follow-through will occur.
The net effect is that:
Execution suffers
Trust erodes - does the person actually plan to do it?
Frustrations arise - why aren’t they doing what they said they would?
Back 2 Backs behavior would say it simply.
If you say you are going to do something. Do It.
Otherwise. Don’t say you are going to do it.
The bottom line is the importance of follow-through cannot be understated.
It’s also ok to make adjustments to the agreed-upon task, but make the changes overtly and get mutual agreement on the change.
Back 2 Basics Social Media Series
Whether you are a seasoned professional or an employee just out of college, it never hurts to return to the basics. A good way to harvest new insights is to maintain a beginner’s mindset. This is the sentiment behind my “Back 2 Basics” Social Media Series. We go back to the basics to refresh and perhaps find new insights.
About The Nexus Initiative
The Nexus Initiative is a boutique Executive Coaching and Advisory firm based on real-world operating experience. If you know someone looking for a trusted confidant with real-world operating experience to be their coach, please refer them to my website to set up a discovery call.
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