I have an incredible speaker mate who always impresses me with his ability to add incredible value every time I see him. Thom is the kind of guy that always does what he says he will do, his clients love him, his peers respect him and to top it all off – he is a great guy! I asked him to contribute to our blog because I really enjoy his writingsand I know you will too!
Do you have “Follow-Through DNA”? In the course of our lives many say they will do little things to follow up or be of assistance, but then they get busy and forget to fulfill their verbal obligations.
I am not talking about the big promises (although those often get ignored, too), but instead I am writing about the little promises made in passing that are soon forgotten:
“I’ll call you to set up lunch…”
“I will send you the link to that article…”
“I will gladly introduce you to my friend who could use your products or services…”
“I will get you a copy of the photo…”
“I will happily write a review of your book on Amazon….”
“I will call you back as soon as I finish….”
If we held our breath every time someone made one of these declarations we would quickly pass out from lack of oxygen. It is common that people enthusiastically declare they will take an action, only to have their words vanish from memory.
Lack of action is so common that many people are cynical in their expectations of other what others say. The excuse is always the same; “Opps, I got busy”. But busy is a cop-out. Making our words a priority is a choice
The surprise should not be when people follow up, instigate introductions, or otherwise deliver on their promises. That should be the normal course of interacting, but we have become too forgiving in our expectations when promises go undelivered.
However, there are people who possess “Follow-Through DNA”. These people are cautious in what they promise, but almost always take the steps to deliver. Nobody is perfect, but when you look around at the people in your business and personal life you will begin to see trends in who has “taking action” hard wired into their DNA and the others who fail to live up to their words.
In talking about this subject almost everyone agrees, but quickly point out it is others who are lacking in follow through. Even those who are clearly the worst offenders do not know they drop the ball regularly.
Too many people mistake intention (they want to follow up) with action (actually doing it). The desire to do something is not the same thing as actually doing it. It is similar to supporting recycling to save the environment, and then tossing the plastic bottles in the landfill. It happens all the time and people rationalize that their heart is in the right place.
Work hard to make sure that you regularly follow through with the promises you make in your passing conversations. Hold yourself to a higher standard, and then expect the same thing from the people you associate with in your daily life. When you find people who have “Follow-Through DNA” make sure you treat them like they were made of gold. Those who do what they say they will do are powerful resources that should not be ignored.
