Trust and Verify Alignment

Have you ever been disappointed by a completed project—only to realize that your team delivered exactly what they thought you wanted?

Sometimes the problem is not effort, capability, or commitment. Leaders may begin with a clear 50,000-foot vision while the details become visible only as the work progresses. Without regular check-ins, our evolving expectations remain inside our heads while the team confidently moves toward a destination that has changed.

As a young leader, I thought I could delegate by giving people instructions once and then moving on to my next objective.

I was often disappointed by the outcome—and consequently spent a great deal of time fighting fires.

I knew that I did not like being micromanaged or watched over, so I went too far in the opposite direction with my team members. They were often far more knowledgeable than I was about the specific work and how to accomplish it, so I trusted them to make my vision real.

More often than I would like to admit, that was a poor assumption on my part.

The team may have delivered what they genuinely thought I wanted, but a gap remained between their understanding and my expectations.

The problem was not that they were unwilling to work hard or put forth the necessary effort. The problem was frequently my incomplete delegation and my failure to ensure that everyone understood the desired outcome.

I trusted them to deliver according to my dream, but I did not verify their understanding of that dream.

Sometimes my vision was still fuzzy and continued to evolve as the project progressed. Other times, I understood what I wanted but had not explained it clearly enough. In either case, the details remained in my head while the team moved forward based on the information I had provided.

Waiting until the end to evaluate the work was unfair to everyone.

The team believed it was on the right track. I believed the team understood what I wanted. When the finished product failed to meet my expectations, everyone was disappointed.

“Trust, but verify” became an important leadership mantra for me.

By scheduling regular check-ins, I could determine whether the project remained on track. But those conversations produced additional benefits.

They helped me crystallize my evolving vision. They allowed the team to test its understanding, ask questions, identify obstacles, and offer ideas that improved the outcome. They also gave us opportunities to make small adjustments before misunderstandings became expensive rework.

Follow-up is not merely checking on people. It is checking whether the work, the leader’s expectations, and the team’s understanding remain aligned.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• Where could more consistent follow-up improve the likelihood of success for your team?
• Is there a project underway today where your expectations have evolved but your team may not know it?
• What disappointment, rework, or firefighting could be prevented by having a conversation now?
  

CHALLENGE

Today, schedule a meaningful check-in on one important project. Do not simply ask whether it is on schedule. Compare what is being produced with the desired outcome, invite questions, and make sure you and the team are still pursuing the same vision.
Trust your people—and care enough about their success to verify that you remain aligned.