MBA from a Top 5 school. Fortune 100 pedigree. 20 years of doors opening on reputation alone.
Amazon’s door closed in six months.
Not for missing targets.
Not for a political misstep.
For four words that destroyed his credibility:
“That’s not my job.”
He never said them out loud.
But his actions screamed them.
🚨 The Warning Signs
When a cross-functional crisis hit, he delegated down rather than stepping in.
When a peer needed help with a customer escalation outside his org, he pointed to the org chart.
When his boss asked him to temporarily own an ambiguous problem, he asked for “role clarity” first.
He was technically right every time.
And each instance chipped away at his trust.
🧩 The Contrast
The L7 who got promoted that same year? She inherited a broken process outside her scope and fixed it anyway. No one asked her to.
His peers noticed.
His team noticed.
His skip-level noticed.
The feedback loop was brutal but clear:
“High competence. Low ownership. Limited scope.”
💡 The Lesson I’ll Never Forget
“That’s not my job” isn’t just a phrase.
It’s a mindset, and it’s visible even when unspoken.
It signals:
➡️ Playing it safe
➡️ Low ownership
➡️ Low leadership potential
The leaders who rise fastest run toward ambiguity, not away from it. They see gaps as opportunities, not inconveniences, and act like owners long before they have the title.
🎯 Your Move
Could you think about the last time something messy landed near you but not quite in your lane?
Did you step in?
Or did you wait for someone else to own it?
That decision made a hundred small times is what separates the fired from the promoted.
💬 Have you ever seen someone derail their career with “that’s not my job” energy?
💥 Hi, if we haven’t met yet, I am Howard— an executive coach and former consulting leader who helps high-achieving professionals navigate what’s next.
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