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 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.

Unknown author of condensed version of Charles Osgood’s –

A Poem About Responsibility.

I’m reading Scaling Up, the chapter about People, and this story came up.

What’s your experience? How did you deal with it? Do share!