Accountability includes doing what you say you will do in the timeframe requested. In other words, follow-through is a part of accountability.
Who will do What by When is a key phrase when managing time, action-planning, and strategic planning. “Who will do what by when” is memorable and is a part of every successful meeting’s close. Without answering the question of who will do what by when, there will be little to no follow-through.
People want and need to know what is expected of them. Tell them clearly, simply and with a deadline. No deadline, typically no delivery.
Follow-through happens in close association with the personality of the person doing the work. See how many of these people you know by how they follow-through.
- Get’s work, projects, and assignments done at exactly the deadline. – Adrenaline Worker.
- Gets things done ahead of time and under budget. – Achiever/Over-achiever.
- Completes work on-time and on-budget. – Reliable, Get’er done.
- Completes part of the work on-time – may or may not be on-budget. – Partial-completer.
- Completes part, or none, of the work sometime after the deadline. – Essentially doing-nothing.
Each one of these approaches to completing work exists. Which one are you? Are your follow-through behaviors helping or hurting your team? Your customers? Your company? The likelihood of keeping your job?
As individuals and as organizations, we can follow-through. Setting follow-through expectations is critical to the success of each project and every company. Who will do what by when? If you find people not answering the question, know that something needs to be discussed so that you can reach an answer to all three parts of the question. Pinpointing a what and a when without someone to get it done results in no action. Pinpointing a whom and a what without a deadline often means the work happens later than was needed or doesn’t happen at all.
Take a look around. What follow-through is happening in your company? Has your organization created a culture of follow-through and accountability?
If not, and you are ready to improve productivity and customer service with increased follow-through, call master facilitator and strategic planning leader Jana Kemp: 208-367-1701 or f
As the author of seven books, in seven languages, Jana has been interviewed by U.S., Canadian, and European programs, and magazines. Her presentations have been seen in the United States and India by international audience members.
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