Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, & Nobody

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

(Unknown author of condensed version of Charles Osgood’s – A Poem About Responsibility.)

On another occasion there were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, Nobody who wanted change.

So, Everybody said „I want change”. Somebody said „If only anybody would start to change, I will join.”  But nobody said „I will change.” Finally Everybody stayed same, blaming Somebody for waiting for Anybody to start changing. So, nobody changed.

The moral of the stories, of course, is that nothing happened because no one took a leadership role in the important job to be done. Tasks are accomplished when somebody (not the Somebody in our story) takes ownership of an issue and champions its completion. Any of the four people in the stories above could have taken ownership and become the leader, but no one did. So, even though all the jobs appeared to be covered by the four people above, no one was a leader. Problem is, this type of situation happens all too frequently in many businesses today.

I realize it must be a painful truth for many companies. And, if you feel like one of the characters in the story, my advice would be to get out of that team. Both you and the team deserve better. 

If you are a leader and recognize this is happening in your team… Oh!! Don’t blame them though, high-performing teams don’t magically come together. They are a result of an intentional team design process, brought together to tackle a clearly defined business challenge.

People tend to outperform leader’s expectations when there is a shared sense of purpose to start with. There are many more elements to take into account if you are looking to build a high-performing team. From the right culture to fair compensation, but it starts with your ability to communicate a clear vision and a sense of shared purpose. As many others have discovered, team branding is a great tool for that.

A healthy, productive team is one where roles and responsibilities are clear – and where goals are shared so that Everybody steps up to the plate when needed and takes responsibility for the outcome. Team Work, Communication and Leadership are important in doing any work.

#responsibility #team #teamwork #Everybody #Somebody #Anybody #Nobody