CORPORATE GYAN

Importance of FOLLOW-UP within a team.

By Rakesh Pachauri

Follow-up is a frequently used term amongst Team, Management, and Leadership development in any corporate set up .

While most of us talk about the importance of FOLLOW UP, we don't seriously work upon it. It is imperative to follow-up with sub ordinates / associates to assess the progress of development goals. We confuse following-up with negative terms of management, whereas follow-up at every stage of one project helps in seamless summation. Follow-up lays stress on the fact that each task is important, and it allows the manager to predict better workflow and long-term goals that keep the company and team working in sync. Management needs to know if the teammates are doing what they are supposed to be doing and, if they are not, what can be done about it. How does a good manager / team leader follow up with his team? While the teammates are doing what they are supposed to be doing; the purpose of follow-up is to maintain performance by providing honest feedback and reinforcing good performance by communicating with them and also letting them know that their good work is also being noticed. This will build a trust flow.

A fine balance of Critical feedback and praise will take your team to new heights. While follow up should be done with the whole team present in the room, it doesn't harm to occasionally spend time with team mates on an individual level if their performance needs to be improved. In case, team mates are not doing what they are supposed to be doing; , if they lack the discipline ,the purpose of follow-up is to improve performance by asking, “How can I help?”. Assess the situation and step in. As a manager, you have more responsibilities on your shoulders. Give feedback and redefine clarity on the goal.

Try finding out why things are not happening the way they have been envisaged. Try to get obstacles out of the way... Train your team to set priorities and stick to them. Try to eliminate negative consequences for good performance and vice versa. Working around personal problems on humanitarian level helps build a bond of trust that goes a long way in maintaining credibility. We come across certain team members who think they know it all.

Regular Follow ups with such people help us mould them well. Follow ups must be firm yet gentle. Follow-up is meant to get to the person before the problem reaches the next level, and you find out at the nth hour that the deadlines shall be getting delayed, the quality of project/ product is substandard or may be the budget has overshot. Timely Follow ups can save us from lots of displeasure and embarrassment. It can also serve as an opportunity to train your team to deliver the desired results.

FOLLOW UP is the key to the success of any project, process and overall success of the organisation.