Following Up

Coffee Talk: A Leader's Job, Book 2

By: Tim Gibson

Narrated by: Miles Moffit

Following up is a leader's responsibility. There is never enough time, never enough man hours, and certainly never enough patience to get everything finished. When Johnny was assigned to administration, rather than command of an engine company, he resented the chief's decision. Johnny paid his dues, he waited until he was ready, and he should be on a truck, not carrying the maintenance chief's water. Despite being next on the promotion list, Johnny Macias finds himself doing the staff work of shuttling trucks, completing maintenance and repair orders in the tracking software, and basically whatever the chief tells him.

Tasks can be delegated, duties can be assigned, but the responsibility for the job is never passed on, just the authority. When Johnny took on the role, assuming he had all the knowledge for the job, he didn't recognize that there is always a follow-up needed to verify the work was completed. Following up on overhaul, sure, following up on a leak clean-up, sure, but following up on routine data entry, why?

Just like the job is never done, the paperwork is never done until you follow up to ensure it was done correctly.

©2024 Timothy Gibson (P)2024 Timothy Gibson