Three Secrets for Getting Other People to Deliver on Their Promises

A member promises to help out, and then never does. It happens to every club organizer. What can you do to help make sure that a promise turns into action?

1) Follow up to see if the task was done. If it was done, thank the person. If it wasn't, remind them politely how important it is, and see items 2 & 3.

Why is it important to follow up every time you ask someone to do something? First, people see that you took the promise seriously, whether or not they did. They will note that, and take their future promises more seriously.

Second, they know that you appreciate what they did (or need to do). If you don't follow up, they are left wondering whether it matters or not. So, no matter how small the task, check on whether it was done, and always thank the person for doing it.

2) If they are having trouble finding time to do the task, help them scale it down to its essentials. The trick is to have them do the kernel of the task, in less time, but not to drop it entirely.

For example, if the person promised to put up twenty posters in an area of campus, ask him to put up them up in the top five locations, and carry the others around to class all day, putting them up in an ad hoc manner.

Think about how you could scale down the task before you find out it hasn't been done.

Some tasks can't be scaled down--and these should be delegated only to people who have a track record for being reliable and following through the first time.

3) Resist the impulse to do it yourself. It often seems easier to do it yourself, rather than let another person fail. This is a lesson that leaders need to learn. If you step in and do the task, some people will be offended, some people will decide you didn't really want them to do it, and some people will forget they promised to do it. None of them will become more reliable.

If you politely remind them that they said they were going to do it, and that you're counting on them, many will rise to the occasion. But only if you let them.

You are a leader and therefore, you need to lead, not do everything yourself. If you want to lead your campus club to success, you need to help other people follow through on their promises.

Jean Moroney is President of Thinking Directions (http://www.thinkingdirections.com). She teaches thinking tactics to managers and other professionals grappling with the pace and complexity of business. As a graduate student, she ran the campus club at Carnegie Mellon. She has many years of post-graduate experience running a local Toastmasters club, which poses similar challenges.