Do you inspect what you expect? This is an age old statement which transcends everything! Do you practice it in your business and in your life?
Here are a few examples:
- In sports you have recently become the Head Coach of the baseball team. It is a very competitive team in the Cape Cod Summer League where college age players continue to compete over the summer. Do you assume everyone on the roster knows how to lay down a bunt? Or do you run through the roster and take time away from pitcher work, position work and other areas and have everyone face a live pitcher and lay down a few dozen bunts?
- You are the Manager in an area of the business where you have fifty people reporting to you. Two brand new hires started working for you last week in fairly entry level roles. Do you give each of them assignments with deadlines and then hold them accountable and meet with them to review their work? Or do you assume they will finish on time and their work will be good enough to utilize?
- The Annual Report for the Corporation is in the final stages of preparation. How many people are assigned specifically to review and approve of each of the sections for accuracy? Or is it assumed the people who are assigned to prepare the Annual Report will conduct their own review of their work before releasing it?
- You are the person in charge of one of the two key events each year for your group. There will be close to 2,000 attendees, multiple presenters, break-out sessions, meals and more surrounding the event. How many times to you run through the event timeline with: the Hotel Staff, with the Sound People, with the team you have put together for the event? Do you conduct the run through one time? Do you conduct the run through three times? OR do you conduct the run through as many times as it takes?
The point is always ‘Inspect What You Expect’. This is at multiple levels. In fact the other day my car had to have the inspection done on it by an authorized service station. They must conduct hundreds of these a week at the station. When the inspection was completed, the car was brought around and off we went. The next morning something didn’t look right in the front of the car. It turns out the hood was never closed properly!
Fortunately the hood did not blow open somewhere while driving! Clearly it was my responsibility to double check that the hood of the car was closed properly after the safety inspection. Always remember to ‘Inspect What You Expect’. Often the easiest and most obvious items are the ones you overlook and then regret the most.
Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified coach, trainer and professional speaker based in Stamford, CT.
