Chapter 7: Agree on a Plan and Follow Up--How to Gain Commitment and Move to Action

Overview

Never grow a wishbone . . . where your backbone ought to be.

”Clementine Paddleford

By now you ve done a lot of work. You noted a problem and decided that the gap was worth confronting . You told yourself the whole story and took care to step up to the right issue. You then worked hard to deal with both motivation and ability issues. You even dealt with a new problem, used your bookmark, and then solved the original problem. Jointly, you found solutions that seemed promising . Good job!

But don t exhale too quickly. The way you complete a crucial confrontation is as important as the way you start it. If you do this well, you build commitment and establish a foundation for accountability. If you don t finish the job ”if you swap your backbone for a wishbone ”you set yourself up for a whole new set of problems. Let s look at some of these challenges and then explore the skills and tools master influencers use to plan and follow up.