--- title: A Leader’s Most Important To-Do List | The Sales Blog description: You have your three big goals and initiatives for the year. You have your personal goals written down with action plans and projects attached to each one. And you keep a massive to-do list all of the tasks you have to complete. These are all critically important lists. But there is another list that is […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_62591437-copy.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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You have your personal goals written down with action plans and projects attached to each one. And you keep [a massive to-do list](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/12/my-extended-brain/) all of the tasks you have to complete. These are all critically important lists. But there is another list that is more important to your success as a leader. #### I am waiting for . . . The most important list you can keep as a leader or a manager is the list of commitments that your people owe you. The people that work for you owe you certain results. They have been hired to perform some job, and in doing that job [there are commitments](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/05/delegating-the-art-of-giving-tasks-to-their-rightful-owners/) that they make that require them to provide you with something. Your people owe you information, the completion of some task, or an update on an issue that they own. Who owes you information about a client or a project right now, without which you can’t make a decision on how to move forward? Who owes you a completed task without which it’s completion, you have no ability to take the next step? Who owes you a status update on some project? Who owes you a meeting invitation? Tracking these commitments allows you to [follow up](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/12/keeping-commitments-why-follow-up-and-follow-through-make-or-break-opportunities/) and ensure that they are completed, that commitments made are commitments kept, and that your people are accountable for their commitments. #### A culture of accountability The “waiting for” list is a tool to help you create and maintain a culture of accountability. Things don’t get lost. Commitments don’t get missed. Big initiatives don’t fall off the radar because the urgent was allowed to indefinitely postpone [what’s really important](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/be-productive-and-reach-your-goals-with-three-monday-morning-questions). Why not? Because you ask about the commitments every time you speak to the people that owe you something on your “waiting for” list. It doesn’t take long before those that work for you expect you to run down the list of the commitments that they owe you every time you see them. It’s easy to keep this list with you if you keep it electronically, and if you keep the list sorted by the name of the person that owes you something you have a built-in agenda for every meeting you have, formal or informal. #### You are the bottleneck As a leader, you can be a bottleneck. Your people, your company, and your clients are waiting for you to make decisions. Many of the decisions that you need to make require that you be supplied with the information to make that decision. Still more of the decisions require that other tasks be completed before you can proceed in determining next steps. Creating a culture of accountability engenders speed and focus. The “I am waiting for” list is a tool to help create that culture of accountability and ownership. It opens up the bottleneck and allows you to progress more quickly. #### Questions You track your commitments and promises. How do you track the promises made to you? How do you remember to discuss the commitments that people owe you? Why is accountability important to high-performing people and sales organizations? What belongs on your waiting for list? ###### Tags: [Leadership](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/leadership) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on January 5, 2012 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover (3)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(3).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(3).jpg) ### How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book As leaders, we're faced with decisions everyday—not all of which are easy to make. Learn how to make those tough decisions, hold yourself and your team accountable, and build a legacy with How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2024-07-15T11:38:58 AM", "datePublished" : "2012-01-05 22:17:29", "description" : "You have your three big goals and initiatives for the year. You have your personal goals written down with action plans and projects attached to each one. And you keep a massive to-do list all of the tasks you have to complete. These are all critically important lists. 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