The Responsibility Poem

Dear all

It was nice to welcome our students back yesterday after the Easter break.

Our Thought for the Week featured ‘The Responsibility Poem,’ by Charles Osgood, which warns of the dangers of the bystander effect and collective apathy:

 

There was a most important job that needed to be done, 

And no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none. 

But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to ask

Is who exactly will it be who’ll carry out the task?  

 

Anybody could have told you that Everybody knew

That this was something Somebody would surely have to do. 

Nobody was unwilling; Anybody had the ability. 

But Nobody believed that it was their responsibility. 

 

It seemed to be a job that Anybody could have done, 

If Anybody thought he was supposed to be the one. 

But since Everybody recognized that Anybody could, 

Everybody took for granted that Somebody would.  

 

But Nobody told Anybody that we are aware of, 

That he would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of. 

And Nobody took it on himself to follow through, 

And do what Everybody thought that Somebody would do.  

 

When what Everybody needed so did not get done at all, 

Everybody was complaining that Somebody dropped the ball. 

Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame, 

And Everybody looked around for Somebody to blame.  

 

Somebody should have done the job 

And Everybody should have, 

But in the end Nobody did 

What Anybody could have. 

 

I’m sure everyone who has worked as part of a team or across different departments will be able to recall at least one example that the poem speaks about! As all our students look ahead to summer exams of one form or another, I used the poem as a call to arms for personal ownership and accountability.

Have a great weekend

Best wishes

Michael Bond