The Death of “We”
At some point, this will no longer be “We.”In the boardroom, everyone says “We.”
“We approved.”
“We’re moving forward.”
It sounds safe. It feels aligned.
It isn’t.
Not always.
But at one specific moment — when something goes wrong — “We” disappears.
No one is responsible.
Responsibility shared by everyone
is responsibility avoided by anyone.
It behaves like gas:
It expands to fill the space.
It applies no pressure.
It supports no weight.
is responsibility avoided by anyone.
It behaves like gas:
It expands to fill the space.
It applies no pressure.
It supports no weight.
Consensus is mistaken for control.
If enough people agree, it must be correct.
If enough people approve, it must be safe.
No one feels the weight of stopping.
And when no one feels it — no one stops.
Every system has its functions:
Initiate
Review
Approve
Execute
Stop — missing
Without someone required to stop,
even good people do not stop.
even good people do not stop.
A process starts.
Momentum builds.
No one interrupts.
And so it continues —
until it can’t.
“We can still stop.”
↓ No alert. No escalation.
↓ “We are already committed.”
↓ No alert. No escalation.
↓ “We are already committed.”
This is not a cliff.
It is a slope.
It is a slope.
Replace “We” with a name. One person explicitly required to stop.
Responsibility without authority is punishment.
Authority without responsibility is risk.
Authority without responsibility is risk.
That is exactly why it is avoided.
Who is explicitly required to stop
before a decision becomes irreversible?
At the moment of an irreversible decision under uncertainty,
the risk does not disappear.
It concentrates —
on whoever signs.
the risk does not disappear.
It concentrates —
on whoever signs.
After every failure, the same line appears:
“Someone should have stopped this.”
Who was supposed to stop it —
and why was that never defined in advance?
If no one was named,
no one was supposed to stop it.
“Someone should have stopped this.”
Who was supposed to stop it —
and why was that never defined in advance?
If no one was named,
no one was supposed to stop it.