Any team leader knows that it’s what happens between project meetings that makes or breaks a project. And yet it’s often challenging to keep a team motivated and focused on getting agreed upon tasks done. Ideally you’ve checked that everyone is aligned and agreed on next steps but assigning tasks and deadlines is usually not enough.
How to Get Your Team to Follow Through After a Meeting
After a meeting ends, it can be challenging to keep your team motivated and focused on getting agreed-upon tasks done. Of course, you need to end the meeting with clear agreements on specific actions and completion dates for each item, but that’s not enough. Ask people communicate if one of their action items becomes at risk of non-delivery. Assign someone to track and follow up on action items between the meetings. Keep a running tally of which items get done and aim for an 85% completion rate. But don’t let the tracking turn you into a task master. Be compassionate and understanding if people have things come up and aren’t able to meet their agreements. If, however, team members continually drop the ball, have a frank and open discussion with people about how to change the norm.