Have you ever tried to communicate a task that needed to be completed by an employee, co-worker or fellow committee member on your team? Sometimes the frustration of miscommunication, lack of understanding, non-completion of tasks or not achieving the results you want, can affect the success of the project, business and team.
We all know that today, small business owners, managers and even team members have to wear many hats in their organization. It becomes more important today to collaborate with others to get things done no matter what your position is in the organization. Most people are very hands on. However, your role as a committee chair person, business owner or manager is to get things done through others. It’s called Delegating. Many are challenged with this skill. Particularly when following up.
Sometimes it can appear to be confrontational. Most people shy away from confronting others because of the fear of not being liked, pushy, micro managing or even to come across as be demanding. Because of this, most will avoid confrontation and just do the task themselves.
But what if you knew how to follow up on the progress of tasks without coming across as confrontational? Remember the goal is to feel comfortable knowing that it task is being worked on to achieve the results you want.
Here’s a little help on how to follow up.
4 Simple Progress Monitoring Strategies:
1 Set scheduled checkpoints along the way- People should welcome this. Most of us when given a task or assignment want to know how they’re doing and be assured they’re on the right track.
2. Offer support – Let them know you have their back if they run into trouble and that help is available.
3. Get them to speak up if they’re stuck or need help before it’s too late – Tell them in advance that asking for help or guidance before something goes radically wrong is not a sign of weakness or incompetence. On the contrary, it’s smart business to raise your hand if you know something is wrong. To bolster their confidence in asking for help, you might give them an example when you yourself had to ask for help and thus was able to save the day.
4. Anticipate and prevent problems – The hallmark of a good and effective communicator or manager is to anticipate unintended consequences and be able to turn to Plan B if Plan A isn’t working. Some degree of flexibility is always an asset when you run into trouble.
Using these simple steps will get you the right amount of feedback, encourage employees and fellow team members to speak up about problems and prevent you from being confrontational and perceived as a hovering micromanager. Now that would be ‘Magical”
Need help? Contact Coach John today and schedule your FREE Strategy Session or check for availability to have John present to your business or team. info@johnformica.com or (704) 965-4090