Jenny, Lisa and I have all been reading and studying Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. I highly recommend you consider buying the or audiobook. This week I’ve been struck by Brene’s concept of TASC and “paint done for me.”
TASC is an accountability and success checklist you can use in meetings to ensure your team is clear about assignments and follow through. It’s a handy little acronym you can review during the meeting when as assignment is made:
T: Who owns the TASK?
A: Do they have the AUTHORITY to be held ACCOUNTABLE?
S: Do we agree that they are set up for SUCCESS? Do they have the time, resources and clarity needed to complete this task?
C: Do we have a CHECKLIST of what needs to happen to accomplish the task?
Asking and answering each of these questions provides clarity for the team and the employee assigned to the task, cultivates commitment, and results in greater contribution.
The second trick that goes along nicely with TASC is “what does done look like” or “paint done for me”. This is a helpful question to ask and answer when delegating a task or making a request of a team member.
For example, I might say to someone on my team, “I need a year end fundraising report.” If the conversation ends there, I might very well get a report that gives the YTD fundraising total and nothing more. But if my team member asks, “what does done look like?” I might flesh that out with other data I’d like to see, such as donor retention, cost per dollar raised, or number of gifts over $1,000.
If my team member says, “paint done for me,” we might have a conversation that gets even more creative, in which she lets me know that our database can generate a report that give even more interesting or detailed data I hadn’t even considered. Or she might let me know that, because of the way I’ve framed the data, the report will take several hours to complete. With a few tweaks, we could agree on a report that satisfies my needs and takes less time to generate.
Another saying of Brene Brown is “clear is kind.” Creating greater clarity means less stress, more productivity, and better results. TASC and “Paint Done” are two very practical and specific tools that create greater clarity for your team, the ultimate kindness!
I hope these tips help you create an amazing and productive week for yourself and your team!