Make Ownership Unmistakable
Have you ever handed off an assignment, only to discover later that nobody caught the pass?
Responsibility shared by everyone often becomes owned by no one. Until one person accepts the ball and becomes accountable for carrying it forward, the handoff has not really occurred.
I recently watched the Buffalo Bills play the Houston Texans.
Early in the fourth quarter, Texans running back David Montgomery slipped into the end zone and caught a seven-yard touchdown pass. He appeared to be caught between Bills defenders Dee Alford and Maxwell Hairston, with each apparently expecting the other to cover him.
Montgomery was left open, and the Texans took the lead.
I do not know the defensive call or which player was supposed to cover him. This is not about assigning blame to either player.
In fact, that is precisely the point.
When ownership is unclear, capable people working toward the same objective can still leave a critical assignment uncovered.
Football moves quickly. Defenders must process formations, recognize routes, communicate assignments, and react within seconds. Even a brief moment of uncertainty about ownership can create an opening—and professional athletes are exceptionally skilled at exploiting one.
The same thing happens inside organizations.
A priority is discussed during a meeting. Everyone agrees that it is important. The leader says, “We need to take care of this,” and every person leaves believing that someone else owns the next step.
Days or weeks later, the leader asks for an update.
Nobody caught the pass.
Clarity establishes where the team is going. Prioritization identifies what matters most. But neither produces execution until a specific person accepts ownership of moving the work forward.
Clear ownership does not mean that one person must complete every task alone. It means that one person is accountable for coordinating the effort, tracking progress, addressing problems, and ensuring that the commitment does not disappear between teammates.
As leaders, we cannot simply throw an assignment into the room and assume someone caught it. We must identify the owner and confirm that the responsibility has been accepted.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Where is an important assignment currently sitting between two people on your team?
- Where have you used the word “we” when you needed to name a “who”?
- Does every major priority have one person who knows, “I own the result”?
CHALLENGE
Today, review your team’s most important commitments. Assign one clear owner to each, confirm that the handoff has been accepted, and establish when that person will report back.
Do not merely throw the pass. Make sure someone catches it.
