Roles and responsibilities

Ever found yourself thinking, “That’s not my responsibility” — while also hoping that someone else (you kinda have an idea who) will magically step up and handle it? Yeah, we’ve all been there. The problem is… that “someone else” is probably thinking the exact same thing. And before you know it, you’ve got a pile of unassigned tasks growing into the next big team “oops.”

So, who’s actually responsible for defining responsibilities? Shouldn’t it be super clear to everyone who owns what?

👉 If you’re an employee — It’s tough to know what’s on everyone else’s plate. You might have a general idea, but let’s be real — the devil’s in the details. From someone else’s perspective, that unclaimed task could totally be your responsibility — and you might even look bad for not handling it.

👉 If you’re a manager — You might assume people already know who’s responsible. But do they? It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “They’ll figure it out.” Spoiler: they probably won’t. And then you’ve got a bunch of confused faces in the next meeting.

This isn’t about blaming anyone — work is messy. Plans shift, new priorities pop up daily, and everyone’s trying to keep track of it all without losing their minds. Add in the things you don’t have visibility on (or the times you’re practically expected to read minds), and it’s no wonder things slip through the cracks.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that responsibility for assigning tasks belongs to someone else…

So here’s the thing: defining who’s responsible for what is a leadership responsibility. Walking into a meeting and asking, “Who wants to take this?” — only to be met with awkward silence — isn’t leadership. That’s hoping for a miracle.

💡 What if the conversation sounded like this?
“Hey, this new project came up, and I think you’d be the best person to lead it. But I know you’ve got [X] and [Y] on your plate — how should we prioritize this? Should we push something back? Do you need any support? I thought i could support with [F]. Are there any consequences to shifting priorities that I should be aware of?”

That’s not micromanaging — that’s setting people up for success. Clarity creates confidence. And when everyone knows who’s responsible for what, you cut down on confusion, avoid finger-pointing, and keep things moving.

So next time you feel that awkward silence creeping in — take charge. Set the tone. Make the ask. And watch how much smoother things start to run. 😎

But let me tell you a story.

The Tale of Two Worlds

Once upon a time, there were two worlds, separated by a long and narrow bridge. In both worlds, the workers had a single, important job: to carry bags full of balls across the bridge. The balls were needed to build an amusement park — the most magnificent amusement park in the world.

The First World: The World of Pressure

In the first world, every worker’s bag was already stuffed full of balls. So full, in fact, that they could barely keep hold of them. Balls slipped out and rolled away as they stumbled across the bridge, no matter how hard they tried to hold on.

The manager in this world was deeply worried. If the workers didn’t get enough balls to the other side, the amusement park wouldn’t be finished on time. Every time a ball dropped, the manager would sigh, scurry over, and place another ball in the worker’s bag to make up for the loss saying: — “You dropped one? Here’s another — we can’t afford to fall behind!”

The workers, already struggling under the weight, would lose even more balls as the added pressure made them clumsy and overwhelmed. They were walking slower and slower, terrified of dropping anything, terrified of disappointing the manager.

The manager, growing more desperate, began to follow closely behind them, watching every step. “Careful! Don’t drop that! We need every ball!”

This only made things worse. The workers felt useless, discouraged, and weighed down — both physically and emotionally. They began to doubt themselves, thinking, Maybe I’m not strong enough for this. Maybe I’m not good enough.

Progress slowed to a crawl. The amusement park felt like an impossible dream, slipping further and further away.

The Second World: The World of Strengths

In the second world, things were different. The manager here also wanted to build an amusement park — but they knew that success wasn’t about how many balls the workers carried; it was about how well the workers could carry them. It was about carrying the right balls and the right amount.

Instead of stuffing every bag to the brim, the manager took time to understand each worker’s strengths. Some workers were great at carrying heavier balls, others were better at balancing smaller ones, and some needed to focus on one or two special balls to do their best work.

When the bags were full and a new ball needed to be added, the manager didn’t panic or force it in. Instead, they sat down with the worker who the manager thought could be good at it and said — “We’ve got a new ball,” “Do you think there’s anything we could shift around to make room for it? Or should we wait until we’ve crossed this bridge first?” “ I though we could remove this other ball but you know better than me if that could have the wrong consequences…”

Sometimes the workers would suggest leaving a ball behind for a bit. Sometimes they’d shuffle things around. Other times, the manager would ask, “Do you think you’re ready to take this one? I thought you’d be great at it, so I thought about you”

Slowly but surely, the workers started feeling more confident. They weren’t worried about dropping balls because the manager didn’t scold them when they did. Instead, the manager would say, “I didn’t realize that was too heavy. That’s on me ”

Without the pressure and fear of failure, the workers grew stronger. They started crossing the bridge faster and steadier. They even began helping each other balance their bags when things got tricky.

Before long, the amusement park was not only finished — it was the most spectacular amusement park anyone had ever seen. The workers felt proud, and the manager felt confident that even if new challenges came up, they’d figure it out together.

The Lesson

In the first world, the manager focused on how much could be carried. In the second world, the manager focused on how well people could carry it — and trusted the team to figure it out together.

Success didn’t come from pressure, fear, or micromanagement. It came from understanding strengths, creating clarity, and building confidence.

And that’s why, in the second world, the amusement park was not just finished on time — it was a masterpiece. 🌟

In this story, each ball represents the different tasks and responsibilities team members have on their plate. The extra ball represents those unexpected tasks that keep coming up and need to be handled by someone. The difference is that, in one world, the manager takes responsibility for evaluating where that ball should go and creates the space and confidence for the team to speak up. In the first world, however, the new balls are just added to bags that are already too full, setting everyone up for failure.

If you are adding “free floaters” to your team’s bag full of priorities without removing other priorities, both the free floaters and urgent tasks will be done poorly — and important priorities (the ones that will define the future of your organization) will be delivered late.

If, when new priorities are added, you don’t let those free floaters just drift around but instead take the time to evaluate what will need to be compromised as a consequence, your team will have a real chance to tackle both urgent and important tasks effectively.

So… how many free floaters does your team have in their bags? 👀

Are Free Floaters Sinking Your Team’s Success?

…

When it comes to leadership and defining who is responsible for what, the actions leadership teams take can either set teams up for failure or position them for success. To ensure you are setting up your team for success, a few things need to be true:

Do This:
✅ When a new task or objective needs to be done, evaluate what it is, what kind of skills and knowledge will be required, and how important it is compared to everything else currently prioritized.

Don’t Do This:
❌ When a new task or objective needs to be done, simply share it with the team and expect them to figure it out.

Do This:
✅ Clearly compare the importance of a new priority or task with current tasks and priorities. Say things like:
“I know that if we prioritize this, X and Y will be delayed or paused. I think we can get this done before D because this new priority is more important than D.”

Don’t Say This:
❌ “This is very important because of X, so please do it.”

Do This:
✅ Define who, based on their role, skills, and capacity, would be a good fit for the task. Say something like:
“This is a new priority that came up, and I thought of you because you’re really strong at T and U. That said, I know you’re also working on W and J, so maybe you’re not the right person — or maybe there are some consequences or gaps I haven’t considered yet. Can we discuss what you think?”

Don’t Do:
❌ Hope that someone will voluntarily take responsibility.
❌ Assign a new task or priority without considering the consequences and how it affects other priorities.

Do This:
✅ Clearly define the expectations for that task or new priority. Be as specific as your expectations are. If you expect a PowerPoint presentation with specific graphics, say that. If there are particular considerations or details to keep in mind, share them. The employee may even suggest a better way to approach it, which could improve the outcome.

Don’t Do:
❌ Expect the other person to guess what you want. (Nobody can read your mind.)

Do This:
✅ Define not only where the task falls in the list of priorities but also how much time you expect it to take. For example:
“I’m expecting a draft in 1–2 hours,” vs. “I need a final version that doesn’t require any further reviews.”
Be clear so the employee knows how much time to allocate. If they mention needing more time, that’s a sign you may have overlooked some details or that they might need additional support to complete it faster.

Don’t Do This:
❌ A day after assigning a new priority, say: “Do you have it?” — when they didn’t know it was due the next day or only needed to work on it for a few hours.

Do This:
✅ Meet privately with the person you think is the right fit for the task and discuss the details directly.

Don’t Do:
❌ Meet with the whole team and awkwardly ask, “Who could do this?” — without taking responsibility to evaluate who the right person is based on their role, capacity, skills, and current priorities.
❌ Assign someone to a task without considering their skills, role, and existing workload.

If this was useful, I would recommend reading about the RACI chart, as it’s a good way to define roles and responsibilities clearly and share them with the team so everyone knows what each person is responsible for.

BUT WAIT!

Before you define a RACI chart or any list of tasks, make sure you consider the consequences of adding new responsibilities to someone’s bag without first evaluating what’s already on it, providing clarity, considering their skills, and setting them up for success. The RACI chart comes after evaluating all of that.

As a leader, creating a RACI chart helps you take the time to understand all the steps involved in a task, which allows you to assess and prioritize it before assigning responsibilities. While using a RACI chart might sometimes feel like overkill, it provides valuable visibility across teams. It clarifies who is responsible for what, who should be consulted about specific issues, and who might be blocking progress.

This doesn’t have to be a complex Excel file or table — it can simply be a list of tasks that defines the process from “NOW” to the “FUTURE” (or task/priority completion) and assigns each task to a specific person, ensuring that no task is left unassigned.

So, if you’re tired of the “Who’s doing this?” awkward silence in meetings — or the endless game of hot potato with tasks — give the RACI chart a try. A little clarity goes a long way!

And hey, if this post gave you something to think about (or made you realize you might need to rethink how you’re assigning tasks 👀), hit that like button, share it with your team, and don’t forget to follow me for more tips on making work less stressful and more productive. Let’s build better teams together! 😎🚀