Apoplectic, enraged, irate, spitting mad. That pretty much describes how Theo felt after his brief encounter with Brad. Two weeks ago, they sat in a delegation meeting, everything according to plan. But here they were, three hours to deadline and the project had not been started. Theo’s ears began to ring as Brad defended himself, “But you never came by to check on the project, I thought it wasn’t important anymore. So, I never started it. You should have said something.”

The lack of follow-up can kill a project. And in the chaos of the impending deadline, the Manager gets caught up, personally starting, working and finishing the project, often with the team standing by, watching.

What one small change could dramatically change the way this delegation played out?

Follow-up. Schedule not one, not two, but, perhaps three or four quick follow-up meetings to ensure the project is on track. Segment the project, and schedule the follow-up meetings right up front, from the beginning. These check-ins are more likely to happen if they are on the calendar. -TF