Author: Mike Urgo
If we’ve met, or if you have been following this newsletter / podcast, you know I am a fairly organized and neat person. However, like most people, when life gets busy, things can get left behind. Just the other day, I was in the bathroom and noticed some trash around it, so I bent over and picked some stuff up and put it in the bin. In my head I was rolling my eyes as to the probable culprits. Not more than five minutes later, I did a step back “jumped” and missed a tissue which landed right next to the can. Right in the same spot I had just cleaned.
That morning, I was running behind and my body started to move out of the bathroom before I realized what I was doing. My brain screamed STOP!!!
Holy crap, I was about to be the biggest hypocrite in the world. I had just rolled my eyes so hard, I bet everyone heard it across the house. Was I about to leave that tissue there myself?
The fact is, I probably wouldn’t have inconvenienced anyone. The reality is, no one would have noticed it, and I would have just picked it up later in the day.
But it got me thinking.
If anyone has played a team sport like soccer, lacrosse, field hockey or ice hockey growing up, you’re constantly taught to follow your shot. I think this is a great lesson with a practical application in leadership and can be applied both inside and outside the workplace.
Regardless of what you do or where you are in life, we all have shots we take. Some are simple easy things like throwing a tissue into a trashcan or asking for a little extra meat at Chipotle. Others are bigger, like asking about a promotion or if your spouse can watch the kids while you go out with your friends (both equally as scary). While taking a shot is hard, I would argue the follow up is even more difficult.
Take for instance talking to your manager about a promotion. It’s difficult to have that conversation. However, it’s been my experience before, and I have heard from numerous other people where they don’t really hear anything following the conversation. I am finding more and more that leaders and just people in general are perfectly content “ghosting” the situation. Some may be because they are uncomfortable, and others may be more tactical. They may be looking to see how convicted you are. For the record, I don’t subscribe to either justification, I am a firm believer in effective communication and letting someone sit in silence is not effective.
As effective communicators though, it is important to learn how to deal with all different types of communication. So, when you take your shot, don’t sit and suffer in silence.
Follow up.
How? How should you follow up?
The best thing to do is to set up expectations after you shoot your shot. Do not shoot your shot and walk away without setting expectations. Using the example of a promotion. I have had some great heart to hearts with managers in the past where we have talked about my development, future roles, and salary expectations. I know that often these decisions require multiple levels of approval, so I have always asked about what that looks like and the timing associated with it. Then, I can say something like: is it ok if I follow back up with this in the next ____ weeks?
Now you are putting the proverbial ball in their court. They can either agree or adjust the timing but leave it up to you and expect a follow up or commit to their own follow up. If they commit to something to you, for example: I will let you know if it gets approved before the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, you have the green light to follow up if you don’t hear anything and the holiday passes.
It’s important to acknowledge the difference between following your shot and being annoying. But, if you have shot your shot and then don’t say anything, the perception can easily become that you are not that invested. So even if you think you missed, don’t let the trash sit next to the trashcan; be tactfully convicted and follow your shot!
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