Ever been in that sticky situation where you’re managing a team, and you’ve got to check whether everyone’s actually doing what they’re supposed to?
Yep, it’s a part of the job I sometimes love to hate.
Whether it’s those one-on-one meetings that feel more like confessions, or those frantic searches through the cloud hoping to see that ‘Task Completed’ tag—the little ‘checking in’ procedure ends up being one of those parts of daily work we all have to do in some capacity.
But let me real about something: How often have you gotten the infamous “Yep, it’s done” reply only to find out that ‘done’ was more a wishful thinking than a reality?
I’ve gotten those exact responses over and over throughout my line of work (including my own bosses and managers!)
Yes, it seems project management and staying on top of workloads is much more than just a team leader to team member thing. This kind of experience has been pervasive in my life with:
- business partners
- colleagues
- buyers
- clients
- customers
- upper management
- team members
- collaborators
- friends
- family
…the list goes on and on.
For me, navigating the minefield of unverified task completions can feel less like management and more like detective work.
So, I’m about to let you in on a ridiculously simple trick that’ll change the way you see accountability at work.
It is so hilariously simple, you may at first undervalue just how helpful this practice really is.
But trust me, I had instinctively began using this technique after years of dealing with unfinished, missing, or unusable work in the lovely world of marketing and sales. And honestly…
…it’s been a life saver.