The Story
Five working dogs are standing together.
A rabbit suddenly bolts from the brush.
Instead of chasing it, the dogs look at each other.
One says, "Whose responsibility is this?"
Another says, "Before we proceed, shouldn't we determine who is best qualified?"
A third wants to discuss what happens if the rabbit crosses into another territory.
A fourth suggests forming a plan in case there are more rabbits.
A fifth recommends documenting the process so they can improve it next time.
Meanwhile...
The rabbit calmly disappears over the hill.
No one failed because no one acted.
The Leadership Lesson
Working dogs don't hold committee meetings when the rabbit appears.
Someone chases.
The others naturally support.
The decision isn't made because of organizational charts.
It is made because the purpose is obvious.
What Inspired It
The essay came directly from your observations about matrix organizations during the Paligen project.
You described engineers, logistics, manufacturing, contracts, compliance, and program management all standing beside one another, each owning a piece of the problem, but no one truly owning the rabbit.
Your comment that sparked the essay was essentially:
We have five different kinds of working dogs standing side by side. A rabbit comes around the bush. They all start discussing who should chase it, what they'll do if they catch it, and whose responsibility it is... while the rabbit hops away.
That was the essay.
The Contrast
The essay wasn't criticizing committees.
It was criticizing the inability to recognize when discussion should end and action should begin.
Committees have their place.
Rabbits don't wait.
The Deeper Point
The real problem isn't indecision.
It's ownership.
When everyone owns a little of the problem, no one owns the outcome.
Working dogs understand that success belongs to the pack, but responsibility belongs to whoever is in position when the rabbit appears.
Every organization eventually faces a rabbit.
Some call a meeting.
Some write a procedure.
Some wait for approval.
Working dogs run.
They can sort out whose rabbit it was after dinner.
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