Are expectations causing confusion when you want to create a culture focused on accountability? Think about the expectations that you may have of one of your team members. You may be making assumptions about the things that you are asking the person to do for you. They are making their own assumptions from the conversation and you are both heading down the path of frustration.
Brene Brown talks about this concept in her book Dare to Lead. She calls it “Paint Done.” This phrase is a metaphor for delegating a task to someone much like painting a picture. What determines that it is done? This approach allows both sides to share information and ask questions to understand what the final result will look like when it is done. Some example questions would include: when is it needed, what needs to be included, how should it look, why is it important, etc. Brene created this phrase out of frustration with her own team members and it has helped them all considerably.
Here is an article that details out more information on the Paint Done process that Brene uses. How can you implement something similar the next time you are delegating to a team member to help hold you both accountable to each other and eliminate frustration?