Don’t assume that others know instinctively what to do and when to do it, or even what you expect from them. Your team and your company look to you for direction.ĭon’t make assumptions. If you want people to act responsibly, you have to be accountable. You can’t tell people what to do if you yourself aren’t willing to hold yourself to the same level. It’s a story that plays out often in organizations and companies and on teams-anywhere there is culture that lacks accountability.īut how do you get people to take responsibly for their work? Different things work in different situations, but here are some strategies that have proven to be effective:īecome a role model. The story may be confusing but the message is clear: no one took responsibility so nothing got accomplished. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Here’s the story, titled “Whose Job Is It, Anyway?” It’s the story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Recently I told a group of leadership executives a simple but meaningful story that you may have heard before.