1. Why So Many Projects Drift into Uncertainty
During my time in a large corporation, I experienced first-hand how complex collaboration becomes when thousands of people work toward shared goals – over years, across departments, and across locations.
The question “Who’s responsible?” sounds simple enough.
But in large organizations, it can keep hundreds of people busy for months.
This isn’t due to incompetence or bad intentions – it’s a structural issue.
The bigger and more complex the organization, the harder it becomes to clearly assign responsibility.
And yet that clarity is exactly what’s needed to make real progress.
Is this only a problem in large companies? Unfortunately not.
Even in organizations with just 50 people, I often hear:
“Honestly, I’m not sure who’s responsible for that right now.”
2. “You can put both of us down …”
I clearly remember a project I once ran directly for the CEO of a DAX-listed company.
There was a giant Excel sheet, listing a responsible person for each workstream. Not a committee, not a department – just one name per topic.
That was his only (modest) request.
And still, it was incredibly difficult to implement.
I heard variations of the same sentence over and over again:
“You can list both me and Person X – we’re handling this together.”
The reasoning was usually solid: backup coverage, joint ownership, shared expertise.
But the goal remained: one contact, one face, one clear line of accountability.
Why? Because shared responsibility often results in no real responsibility at all.
3. When Responsibilities Overlap
Another common pattern:
Multiple teams or individuals work on similar topics in parallel – without knowing about each other.
Eventually, someone notices in one of the many meetings.
And then comes the tedious part:
Who’s already done what? Who’s allowed to continue? Who needs to step back?
Often, it takes multiple meetings and escalation to the next management level – sometimes even to the board – to resolve the overlapping ownership.
It eats up time, drains energy, and slows down progress across the board.
4. One Name. One Topic. Nothing Else.
That same CEO once said with a wink:
“Every problem needs two ears and a date of birth.”
What he meant:
Every issue needs a single accountable person.
Someone who listens, decides, acts – and owns the topic as if it were their own.
When that happens, multiple problems dissolve at once:
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Clarity replaces confusion.
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Decisions get made, not postponed.
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The person will naturally work to clarify team responsibilities – because they want to see progress.
But to make this work, two things are essential:
- Trust.
- A real mandate.
And that’s where things get tricky – because not every leader is good at letting go.
Micromanagement is the natural result.
5. My recommendation:
Take a look at your current projects and ask yourself:
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Are there topics where you couldn’t clearly name who’s responsible?
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Where are too many people involved – but no one actually leads?
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Are there overlapping responsibilities that have long needed resolution?
Then get specific:
Choose one person.
Give them your trust – and the mandate they need.
One name. One topic. Nothing else.
