If you follow sport and watched your favourite cricketer in action – have you noticed how the bat follows through when the ball is hit to the boundary? Observed how the eyes trace the ball’s trajectory and that the head stays still? Likewise when a soccer player takes a free kick notice how the player follows the ball dipping past the keeper’s outstretched arms? Do you notice changes in the performance of sports persons and wonder how they managed to raise their game?
Irrespective of whether you run your own enterprise or work for an organization these analogies apply to follow-ups and follow-throughs you do as a ‘player’ while you strive to achieve your goals every day.
Anyone managing a project that engages multiple stakeholders and which runs over a period of time will be familiar with the pain of chasing people even when it is their ‘job’ to get things done! Or knowing that your credibility as a professional depends on what you do with the feedback you receive or the insights you gather along the way.
Even with the most sophisticated software that streamlines processes or initiatives you may still end up getting frustrated when ‘stuff’ doesn’t happen when you want it or the way they were supposed to be. Although seemingly inefficient, unless you follow-upwith stakeholders there is little chance that your plans get the attention they deserve. From next steps picked up at a regular team meeting to the larger and complex campaigns that span months having a follow-up plan can make life simpler for you.
However, if you spin it around and view follow-ups as a way to connect, steer and challenge the status quo then you probably are in a better place of not undoing a whole lot that has gone wrong too late in the day. In that sense, follow-ups relates to the steady pace and actions that moves the needle on your initiative. It is about your commitment to see work get over the line.
Follow-throughs on the other hand are about keeping your commitment and ensuring stakeholders see you as reliable and consistent. By matching your actions with your words you give others around you the confidence that you are a partner in a shared journey. Just like how a change to the racquet grip by a tennis player or a bowling action tweak improves a player’s efficiency each of us can evaluate and make improvements to our working styles and actions.
Without being overbearing follow-ups indicate the individual’s interest to get things done right. Follow-throughs indicate the individual’s maturity to grow personally and professionally.
Both follow-ups and follow-throughs need us to be aware and grounded. Aware of what impressions and perceptions our actions or inactions create. Grounded – is about realizing we are human and there are always opportunities to get better; just that we need to welcome feedback and demonstrate our responsibility to change.
What are your thoughts?
