Getting people to do what you need them to do takes effort, skill and follow up.
In the last few weeks, I’ve shared a 4-step approach to dealing with difficult behavior to help managers and supervisors understand what employees need, and move through the steps to get the best results. I mentioned that the steps in the cycle can be entered at any point but all of them should be completed:
Steps:
- Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback
- Setting Boundaries
- Difficult Conversations, 5 Step model
- Follow Up and Follow Through
This Leadership Tip will help you stay committed to the boundaries you’ve established to change behavior.
It’s my most favorite step because I get to say…FU and everyone always laughs at that. Follow up and follow through is something that I’ve had to work very diligently at over the past five years to improve my own business. It’s a review, sometimes a reset or a rewind…the common prefix being ‘re’ which means ‘to go back to’.
Do you set rules, policies, procedures and then just hope and pray that they’re going to be followed? Or do you follow up with check points, or invite open feedback from your staff to discuss the effectiveness of the process? Which ever way you do it, FU…Following Up is even more important than setting up the boundaries and having the conversations to instil best behavior because we all get busy, old habits die hard and we need to re-member. Another ‘re’ word.
Also an important step when you’re delegating a task, or building relationships, or working on your sales, or getting a job, or staying with anything that’s important. The fortune is in the follow up because correcting new behaviours is something that requires time to form and tolerance to perfect.
Well, FU (follow up) and follow through, and if you’re still getting stuck, or can’t find your way, call Penny Tremblay because the high cost of conflict is avoidable, and profits can be used for better things.