My Biggest Secret to Success

When we hear “secrets to success” we often think about big, scary words like “discipline” and “time-management” or “perseverance”.  It’s easy to think that success only comes to those who work around the clock and never have time for fun and relaxation because they are always 100% focused.  I’m here to tell you that’s a load of crap.  ;)

If I had to pick one thing that has helped me reach my goals, it would be the very simple act of following up.  Yup – that’s it – follow up.  That’s the big secret.  Sounds pretty straightforward, right?  So why is it such powerful tool and how can it be used effectively?

If you play sports, you probably already know about follow up.  Your coach has hopefully drilled that message into your head.  Follow up in sports can mean the difference between victory and defeat.  Lack of follow up can result in missing a rebound or a goal shot.  Whatever you set into motion as an athlete, you better be prepared to follow up and deal with the results.

You alone are responsible

While I am definitely a team player, it may sound like heresy to tell you not to rely on other people.  It’s not about trust or lack of faith in the other person’s abilities.  Not at all. When I delegate a task to a family member or a band mate or anyone I do business with, I do so because I already trust that person to handle it.  If I create the task, I own it.  By owning it, I am responsible for making sure it gets completed.

Ownership requires follow up.  It doesn’t mean you have to nag or demand status reports…just simply make a note on a list or calendar to check in with that person at some point.  Own the task and make sure you follow it all the way to completion.  If the task doesn’t get done, you have no one to blame but yourself for not following through and making sure it was being handled properly.

People aren’t out to ruin you

This one was a huge light bulb moment for me when I first discovered it.  If you go around thinking that every NO response or the lack of response from someone was all about them trying to ruin your life, think again.  Do you sit around all day plotting about how you can ruin someone else’s life?  I certainly don’t! And I’m hoping you don’t either.  And because we don’t think that way, it’s a safe bet to say that the majority of other people aren’t thinking that way either.  I believe that people are geniunely out to help one another – we just do it in our own quirky little ways.  Some folks are absolutely lousy at returning phone calls and emails.  They don’t do this because they are out to get you or make your life difficult…they just operate differently.

Let me make an observation here, if I may….  Think about one or two people you know that are terrible at responding to your messages.  How successful are they?  Enough said.  ;)

So now that we’re clear on people not being out to destroy our lives, let’s keep in mind that some folks lack the follow up skills it takes to be successful.  We are not going to be one of those slackers, but we will have to deal with a few here and there.  Follow up and handle the slackers with care.  Good follow up will get them moving in the right direction and keep us in the path to success.

Don’t take NO for an answer

This may sound a little pushy, but it’s not about demanding what you want.  As the saying goes…Timing is Everything and this applies to follow up as well.  When you get a rejection notice, a negative reply or someone flat out tells you no…don’t close the door.  We have a tendency to immediately write off that opportunity as “not going to happen”.  This is waaaaaay wrong!

A “no” response is an opportunity to practice your follow up skills.  People change.  Circumstances change.  There are management turnovers and economic factors that can turn a previous NO into a big fat YES!  You don’t have to follow up every day and bug the snot out of someone, but make a note on your calendar to check in with that person or company a few months down the road.  Use that follow up time effectively to build a relationship with them and keep an eye on their business to be aware of whether it’s still worth pursuing.  Sometimes you’ll find it’s not worth the effort to keep chasing them down, but many times you’ll find out it was just an issue of timing for them.

Relieve stress

Since we live in the email and texting age of instant responses, we sometimes get frustrated when other don’t use the same technology or they are slow to respond to our requests.  Give people some space to complete the task in their own time.  Use a follow up system to relieve your anxiety about the task.  Most of the stress of delegating a task is our own concern that we might be the one to forget about it.  Write it down somewhere and let go of the fear knowing you will be reminded to follow up at the appropriate time.

Make yourself look good

Follow up is not always about task completion and getting answers.  Sometimes it’s just a nice, thoughtful thing to do.  Ever had a job interview and followed up with a thank you card or a note to tell them you appreciated their time?  Simple follow up courtesies like this go a LOOOOONG WAY towards achieving your goals.  A good system of following up is like super glue when applied properly and in the right places.  You may have a halfway decent project assembled, but if you want it to really hold together, you have to apply the super glue.

People remember the little things you do.  Following up is a little thing that yields huge results.  Take a look at your projects and goals…what can you follow up on right now to move forward in reaching your dreams?