BRX Pro Tip: Agreement on the Next Action Step Really is Progress
Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about this idea of monitoring and measuring progress. What kind of systems we ought to have in place, what kind of attitude we should take toward doing this really important activity.
Lee Kantor: Yeah, I think that whenever you’re meeting with somebody, whether it’s a teammate, whether it’s a prospect, you have to figure out and you have to get agreement on that next action step. If you have some sort of an agreement for that next action step, that means you are making progress. And it’s just not about ideas or discussions, but about deciding the exact specific action that moves the project forward, who will do it, when it will be done, get that down.
Lee Kantor: It is so important to have agreement on what is the next action required. And this clarity eliminates any ambiguity. This is going to create momentum that is going to naturally build, as everyone’s going to know what their role is and what the next move is.
Lee Kantor: And then, to leverage this in your work or your team, always end a meeting or a conversation or a call or a Zoom or any type of discussion by confirming the next physical, visible action. Assign responsibility, set a clear deadline for that step, and track these agreements. Follow up to ensure that they’re being completed. And if there’s a problem, then you’ve got to nip it in the bud. You have to have agreement on what the action is and who is responsible for doing it.
Lee Kantor: If you can do this, if you can consistently agree on and act on the next step, then no matter how complex your project is, it’s going to become manageable. And then there’s going to be less procrastination. There’s going to be less ghosting. There’s going to be steady progress that’s going to eventually turn into success.
Lee Kantor: So, make sure that you get agreement on the next action step at the end of every conversation if you want that project to keep moving forward.
