Follow throughit seems like a pretty basic concept. One of my original mentors in business told me to just do what you say youre going to do, and that in and of itself will place you in a very select group within the business world. When I was younger it seemed impossible to me that doing something so basic could lead to great success. Well, now that Im older and more experienced all I can say is how right he was! It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people that fail to deliver on their commitments. The old clich of over-promising and under-delivering has sadly become all too commonplace in the business world. Is it really that hard to fulfill on promises made?

So inexorably interwoven into the fabric of todays business culture is this trend that I frequently observe people who have actually come to expect failure. Furthermore when said failure occurs it is accepted as usual and customary practice. It is the failure to follow through that blows-up transactions, causes employees to seek work elsewhere, sends what were once loyal customers running to the competition and it can send even the strongest of brands into decline.

Failure is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itselfin fact, I have always learned more from my failures than I have my successes. However accepting failure, not learning from failure or failing through apathy or ignorance are corporate killers. As a person in a position of authority make sure that you set the chinning bar very high. Expect great things of people, equip them to succeed and dont ever accept failure as being OK. When the inevitable failures do occur conduct a failure analysis to determine what went wrong and why, transfer the knowledge gained across the enterprise and move on to more fertile ground.

Some people dont follow through simply because they are lazy and it is just easier to deal with the consequences of not following through than it is to actually invest the effort in getting the job done. Have you ever experienced the individuals who just tell you what they think you want to hear? These people fall into two distinct categories. The first category is the people pleaser. These individuals dont like conflict and will say or do just about anything to avoid it. They believe if they tell you what you want to hear long enough that it will either come true or that youll just go away, and either one is OK by them. The second category is comprised of the darker side of business. These are the individuals that will say or do anything to initially get your business, but once they have separated you from your money they could care less about what was said before the sale. In either case (well intentioned or otherwise) beware of those individuals that appear to be just saying what you want to hear as trouble will surely follow.

Sadly, all it really takes to stand out in corporate America is to follow the direction of my mentor and just do what you say youll doIt doesnt matter where you went to school, how smart you are, what your title is or any number of other considerations, if you want to succeed learn to honor your commitments and execute. I am a perfect example of someone who has probably achieved more success in business than deserved by simply doing nothing more than honoring my commitmentsI say what I meanI mean what I sayI do what I say Im going to do (wow, my life is a clich). All kidding aside, it is just not that hard to follow through.