The Fire, the Light, and the Follow-Up

What do we need to finish strong?

It was a cold December evening in 1914, and an incredible glow lit up the sky above West Orange, New Jersey. But this wasn’t a sunset, it was a raging fire at a research facility. Everything was up in flames!

Explosions echoed as chemicals ignited. Years of prototypes, notebooks, and equipment burned to ashes. The damage was massive - estimated at $7 million back then, over $200 million in today dollars.

As the fire raged, a man in his late sixties stood watching.

Most people expected panic, or heartbreak. Instead, he turned to his son and calmly said, “Go get your mother and all her friends. They’ll never see a fire like this again.”

Then, with a slight smile, he added:

“It’s all right. We’ve just got rid of a lot of rubbish.”

The very next morning, in the face of devastation, he showed up, not defeated, but determined to begin again.

“I’m not too old to make a fresh start,” Thomas Edison said.

That moment wasn’t just about resilience. It revealed something deeper in Edison: the skill, power, and quiet magic of relentless follow-up.

More Than the Lightbulb

Of course, we all remember Edison for the lightbulb. But, what we forget is how many times it didn’t work before it finally did. He tested over 1,000 different materials in search of a filament that would burn bright without burning out.

When asked about all his failures, Edison famously said:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

That kind of persistence is legendary. But here’s what makes Edison truly remarkable:

After he got the bulb to work, he didn’t stop.

He followed up - with glassmakers to manufacture it, utility companies to deliver power, investors to back it, and policymakers to support it. He worked the details, the systems, and the people. He followed up until the idea didn’t just exist - it changed the world.

And that’s the real lesson.

Edison’s greatest inventions didn’t come from a single flash of brilliance. They were built through countless experiments, relentless effort, and an unshakable commitment to keep going when most would have quit.

As Edison himself put it, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

His legacy reminds us that success doesn’t belong to those who simply have great ideas. It belongs to those who put in the work, day after day, until the idea becomes real.

Why Follow-Up Still Matters (Maybe More Than Ever)

Let’s face it: the world today is full of noise, pressure, and distraction. Whether you are a leader navigating uncertainty or seeking to improve your executive presence, a project manager juggling timelines and teams, an innovator trying to get buy-in for your next big idea or tech solution, or a steward of people, promises, technology, or public trust you’re probably carrying more than one heavy load.

The stakes are high. The pace is fast. The expectations are real. And still, and we all know them, people who start strong, then stall.

Ideas launch with energy, then fade. Promises are made, but not always kept.

That’s where the practice of relentless follow-up comes in.

It’s not glamorous. It rarely gets headlines. But it’s what keeps everything together.

It is the quiet force that separates those who start well from those who finish strong.

What Great Leaders Do Differently

Pete, George, and I are constantly writing, speaking, and collaborating on what Pete coined as the concept of the three-legged stool: people, processes, and technology.

No matter the mission - whether it’s building a crime gun intelligence program, launching a company-wide initiative, or rolling out a bold new product - these three elements must be balanced and aligned if success is the goal.

But there’s one force that holds them all together. One driver that anchors each leg of the stool to the seat. That is the force of leadership.

Leadership is the glue - the invisible strength - that binds people, processes, and technology into a unified, purpose-driven effort.

Yet, here’s the truth: the glue must be relentless. It must hold under pressure, through setbacks, across uncertainty. Because when the load gets heavy - and it always does - it’s leadership that keeps everything from coming apart.

Strong leadership doesn’t just support the stool. It earns the right to carry the weight.

Against that backdrop, great leaders don’t just give inspiring speeches. They circle back.

They check in, they close loops, and they hold people accountable - not harshly, but consistently.

They don’t assume “someone else is on it.”

They ask, “How’s that progressing?” or “What’s getting in the way?”

They follow up not because they don’t trust their team. They follow up because they believe in the mission - and know that without discipline, even the best plans drift.

In fact, follow-up is how leaders signal what really matters.

In our collective experience, if you follow up only missed deadlines, people brace for bad news.

But, if you also follow up on progress, development, and small wins - people feel seen, supported, and motivated.

An accountable culture doesn’t just form - it follows your follow-up.

The Engine Behind Execution

How do you guard against human slippage?

Any project, no matter how well-planned, will slide off track without active follow-up. It’s not personal - it’s human nature.

It is no secret that people get busy. Priorities shift. Emails pile up. Without steady reminders and clarifying check-ins, things stall. It is called human slippage.

But when someone takes ownership of follow-up, everything changes.

Good project managers assign tasks. Yet, it is the great ones that stay close, asking questions, clearing roadblocks, and keeping momentum alive.

In high-stakes environments - like public safety, logistics, or technology - this isn’t just helpful. It’s mission critical. Without follow-up, people aren’t just uncoordinated, they’re vulnerable to failure.

Where Innovation Lives (and Dies)

You’ve probably heard this phrase: “Ideas are easy. Execution is everything.”

It’s true. The world doesn’t lack good ideas - it lacks people who will stick with them. Innovation doesn’t fail because people are uncreative. It fails because nobody follows up. They feel uncomfortable doing so.

Picture this in your mind’s eye: look back over the last six months - or even just the past six weeks. Recall a good idea, maybe one you proposed, or one brought forward by your supervisor or your team.

It launched with energy, excitement, and high hopes. There was momentum. There was buy-in.

But now? It’s quiet. The buzz and fanfare have faded. The idea has slipped from sight.

Regrettably, you’re not alone. This is a common story that unfolds daily around workplaces globally. Good ideas don’t usually fail because they’re wrong - they fade because they’re not followed through.

And that’s where leadership, discipline, and relentless follow-up make all the difference.

It is also what makes relentless follow up, an act of institutional courage.

It is more than just showing up. It is about not only who believes that an idea is worth it but who follows up until others see it too.

Edison didn’t just invent. He delivered. And that’s what made the difference.

Follow-Up Is a Matter of Trust

We originally borrowed the concept of “relentless follow-up” from the legendary Jack Maple of the New York City Police Department - a visionary who understood that follow-up wasn’t just a management tactic; it was a leadership imperative. It was one of the elements of his Compstat paradigm aimed at holding police leaders accountable for reducing crime.

Our journey began with a focus on crime gun intelligence, where the stakes are as high as they come. In that world, following up on people, processes, and technology can mean the difference between a promising lead and a lasting resolution…between fear and peace. It’s what gives families answers. It’s what brings closure. It’s what honors lives.

But we quickly realized this principle reaches far beyond public safety.

Over the past several years at The RF Factor, we’ve expanded by looking into new domains - because we’ve seen firsthand that relentless follow-up is universal. It’s the thread that runs through every field where outcomes matter.

We’ve had the privilege of speaking with extraordinary leaders - coaches, teachers, detectives, police commanders, military officers, public servants - people who don’t just make promises, but do the hard work to keep them. Again and again, the difference-maker wasn’t charisma, status, or strategy. It was follow-up.

Because in any mission, in any profession, at any level stewardship without follow-up is a broken promise. And leadership without follow-up is just a speech.

The ones who make the lasting difference? They show up. They follow through. They finish what they start. At its core, that is truly the RF Factor!

The Takeaway: Keep Showing Up

If we could speak to Edison today, he’d probably tell us something simple:

“You don’t need to be a genius. You need to keep showing up, you need to keep asking questions, and you need to keep seeking the answers.”

Relentless follow-up is not about micromanaging. It’s about staying connected to purpose, people, and progress.

It’s how leaders lead. It’s how movements grow. It’s how innovation survives. It’s how lives change - quietly, steadily, over time.

So whatever mission you’re on, whatever goal you’re chasing.

Don’t just start strong.

Follow up. Follow through. Finish well!

Because the world doesn’t just need more bright ideas.

It needs more people like Thomas Edison - who keep lighting the way.