Have you ever delegated something or given someone something to do, and they’ve done it and they’ve given it back and you’ve gone, “wow, that is so not what I wanted or not up to scratch?” 

It happens all the time.  

So a woman who I’ve got a major brain crush on is Brene Brown. 

She’s a professor and a researcher, and oh, my God, her bio is way too long for me to mention.  

Anyway, she wrote this fabulous book called Dare to Lead. 

The concept in here, although there’s so much gold, but one of the concepts I love is: Clear is Kind.  

And it’s about being really clear on your instructions or intentions, or whatever it is, that’s actually the kindest thing you could do.  

And in the book she shares one of the examples that they use in her team.  

And it’s about when you’re giving someone an instruction, or when you’re on the other end of receiving an instruction, make sure that what’s really clear is, ‘what does done look like.’  

So if someone handed it back ‘done’ and complete, paint what that looks like.  

And the staff are trained up that if she gives an instruction, without being really clear on what ‘done’ looks like, they’re allowed to say, “please paint what ‘done’ looks like.”  

Okay, you probably get the drift.  

So I was preparing for a speaking gig a couple of weeks ago.   

And one of the things that I wanted was a list of all the attendees.   

Now normally, I would have said, “I need a list of all the attendees, you know, it’s just good for me to get across who they are, what their names are.”  

But taking Brene’s advice, I said, “what I would love is a list of not just their names, also their surnames, the state that they live in, and their role, and in a spreadsheet or whatever, I don’t mind, but I want those details.”  

And it was so good, because the person that was organizing the event was able to get me this information, in the order with all the details I needed.  

And I got what I wanted. 

She didn’t have to repeat the job and I didn’t have to get disappointed that I didn’t receive it.   

So simple.   

So just a matter of remember, Clear is Kind and what does ‘done’ look like. 

Paint ‘done’. 

Give someone as much information around what ‘done’ looks like.  

You’re going to avoid disappointment and backwards and forwards and having to give feedback and do it this way and do it that way, if you’re clearer in the beginning. 

I thought it was really useful.  

So I hope it’s something that you might be able to use as well. 

Because after all, You are Valuable!