What gets checked gets done

We touched a little bit on part of this concept already when we discussed the need for everyone to perform. If you do everything we’ve talked about so far just right, have your teams set up, and take the time to empower them to make decisions, but you do nothing else, all your work will be wasted.

You have to close the loop and evaluate what is being accomplished. Everything gets evaluated fairly and honestly, with no sacred cows. Even if, or maybe even especially if, the cows getting evaluated are your pets.

Follow through

Every time you take an initiative or make an assignment, periodically assess the health of that action (our last guest writer in the View from the Top series talked about this, too).

Is the project on time? Is it going to go where we thought it would? Is Sally making appropriate progress toward her ability to make the right decision? Monitoring progress in this way creates a culture of accountability. People know when they are asked to complete an assignment or develop a personal skill that you will be assessing progress.

You don’t need to micromanage and tell people how to get every little thing done. But you do need to know that progress is being made.

Why?

Following through makes assignments more relevant, and things that matter get done.

When no one checks it can appear that no one is interested, and your team starts to feel as if all they do is busy work. It also keeps just that little edge of pressure on people that can keep them moving forward when human nature would encourage them to sit still and enjoy the view.