Clear, unambiguous responsibilities

Clear, unambiguous responsibilities.

High performing individuals, and high performing teams, do many things right. But it all starts with one fundamental idea:  clear, unambiguous responsibilities.

Pick a topic…

Accountability is rightfully discussed as an attribute for a strong culture. Accountability flows from my willingness to own the outcome of my efforts. I can’t get away with blaming others if things go wrong. What’s the enabler? The fact that I, alone, own this outcome; it starts with a clear, unambiguous responsibility. 

Trust is a key trait for organizational success. We trust one another to contribute in an ethical and meaningful way. We trust that our efforts will be recognized and rewarded. Trust relies on transparency and boundaries. What’s the enabler? The notion that that we rely on each other to do whatever it takes to  help advance the mission. That can only exist with clear, unambiguous responsibilities.

Regardless of the characteristic or trait of high performance, responsibilities continually show up as the foundation for all other performance topics. And that’s not just a simple, academic observation. It’s the basis for designing a real-world performance environment. 

We own responsibilities. We’re accountable for delivering on our responsibilities. We create strategies to support our responsibilities. We monitor our progress toward delivering on our responsibilities. And so on. 

Contrast this with a ‘task’ mindset.  

Tasks are something we complete. Often, tasks come with instructions - ‘prepare a report using this template’. Whether it provides meaningful information when it’s done is irrelevant to me. Tasks are focused on accountability for execution, not accountability for outcomes. 

And that’s why tasks are a poor substitute for clear, unambiguous responsibilities. 

So what makes a responsibility clear and unambiguous? And how do responsibilities actually create alignment, accountability, transparency, trust, and engagement? Those questions are what drive high performance. When you’re comfortable with that big picture, performance starts to look different. Simpler. More practical. More complete. And more sustainable.   

Responsibilities are the practical foundation that sets everything in motion.

That's what TRM is built around. 

There’s another level to this game. TRM is for people who already sense that.