Reviewing Actions

Assigning actions at the end of every meeting is essential. Most teams readily adopt this ritual. But they often struggle to close the loop on accountability. Did the actions actually get done?

Here’s a process for following up and reviewing actions in the next meeting.

For each due action, ask:

Did you get it done?

If it's done, acknowledge it and move to the next action.

If it's not done, ask whether they still want to do it.

Sometimes the answer is no—the action made sense two weeks ago and doesn't anymore. An authentic cancel beats an action that rolls forward out of obligation. Simply cancel it and move on.

If they still want to do it, ask three questions:

1. What blocked you?
2. What will you do to avoid getting blocked again?
3. By when?

Over time, these questions will expose each person's recurring blockers. This knowledge will allow them to address the patterns holding them back.

As people become adept at this, the action review can be done async as part of meeting prep.