The Unintentional Squelch

How many times have you asked for someone to follow up on an idea or concept only to never hear from them about it again?  It used to happen to me.  You may say, "but you are the CEO, who would ever not follow up on a request from you?"  It happens more than you might think.  Actually, it USED to happen to me.  What I learned to do was to make sure that there was a written record of the request, usually an email.  I would then, usually on weekends, review my sent file for the last week and send reminders until I received a response.  There would also be a reminder placed in the employee's hold file to ensure that we discussed the request at our next meeting.  It is critical after you ask to have an idea analyzed to always ensure that follow up is scheduled.


I always hope that the squelch is unintentional, but I also recognize that there are those managers who think, "this is a bad idea that needs to be killed.".  Embracing change can be difficult for some, especially if it's coming at you in a constant barrage.  However, that is what our business has become.  It is ever changing and if people don't understand why change is necessary, they see it as bad change and resist it.  If change is thoroughly explained, it should be met with far less resistance.