close the loop

Have you ever had a test at your physician’s office, and the nurse said, “We’ll call you if there’s a problem”? Two weeks later—and still no call. You begin to wonder, “What if they lost the blood sample? How can I be sure everything’s okay?”
When people don’t close the loop, they leave the other person hanging. Not only is it distracting, it can subtly erode the relationship.
Anyone can follow up. It’s a simple matter of being conscientious and disciplined.

• When a colleague introduces you to a new contact, tell your colleague when you’ve reached out to the new person. After you’ve connected, tell your colleague how it went.
  

• Respond to invitations and meeting requests promptly. It’s a lot easier for others to plan an event when they know who’s coming.
  

• When you receive details or specifics, acknowledge them. When you receive a question by phone or e-mail, answer it or forward it to the person who can. Acknowledge your action with the person who raised the question. A simple e-mail reply saying, “Got your message, see you there” will eliminate any confusion or uncertainty over whether you received the e-mail and were able to attend the event.
  

Never let yourself be known as someone who leaves other people hanging. Once that label gets applied, it’s hard to shake. On the other hand, when you consistently close the loop, you build a reputation as a dependable professional.
Make a habit of closing the loop in everything you do. Tell the people you work with to do the same.

ps: Taken from "Reclaim Your Life: A Two-Week Challenge to Help You Regain Time" by Stuart R Levin. By chance I came to get this document on http://www.changethis.com/ This website a collection of hundreds of such amazing papers and small books. All freely downloadable. I am sure you would certainly enjoy it.