{"id":3047,"date":"2026-01-27T14:32:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/?p=3047"},"modified":"2026-01-27T14:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:32:17","slug":"when-everything-is-fine-but-it-really-isnt-the-balance-of-responsibility-in-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/when-everything-is-fine-but-it-really-isnt-the-balance-of-responsibility-in-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"WHEN EVERYTHING IS \u201cFINE\u201d, BUT IT REALLY ISN\u2019T \u2013 THE BALANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY IN TEAMS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/ko-je-vse-v-redu-pa-v-resnici-ni-ravnovesje-odgovornosti-v-ekipah\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Link to the slovenian version of the article<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">1. No crisis, no movement!<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, during a meeting with a client, I encountered a situation that is increasingly common in organizations today. A team is split across two locations, with no real connections, no sense of community, and no clear team rhythm. Communication is minimal, collaboration limited, and the bridges between different parts of the system practically do not exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the middle stands a leader \u2013 formally present, but in reality, absent. His focus is directed outward, toward sales and the market. The owner, even more distant, holds a clear and profitable vision. The company is performing well. There is no pressure, no crisis, no external threat that would unite the team. And that is precisely the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, nothing seems wrong. Yet an external, growth-oriented observer quickly notices a significant amount of untapped potential. The team is in its comfort zone. Ambition for development and true teamwork is low. The leader lacks awareness of his leadership skill gaps \u2013 and there is nothing to suggest that this will change anytime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question that naturally arises is: what can we actually do if the leader is not going to change and the system is functioning well enough that it does not create pressure for change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">2. Where is flow and who is really responsible?<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the quiet frustrations in the described situation is the fact that nothing and no one is in flow. And that matters. Not because flow is a \u201cnice-sounding\u201d concept, but because all of us \u2013 leaders and team members alike \u2013 genuinely want to work in a state where our work feels meaningful, fluid, productive, energetically sustainable, and where we can end the day with a sense of satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet the situation described in this real-life example simply does not allow for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flow is not an individual \u201chack.\u201d It is largely dependent on the state of the system. It emerges where basic conditions are in place: a clear direction, a sense of connection, appropriate challenges, feedback, and psychological safety. When these elements are missing, flow cannot arise \u2013 regardless of how motivated an individual might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within the ThinkZoe framework, flow in such cases is understood as the result of balance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>between the individual and the system,<\/li><li>between the leader\u2019s responsibility and the team\u2019s responsibility,<\/li><li>between what we aspire to and what we actually live.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In the described case, the system functions \u201cwell enough\u201d to deliver business success, but not internal quality of work. And here a paradox appears: because there is no crisis, there is no pressure for change, while dissatisfaction remains quietly present. No one is truly satisfied, yet no one has enough energy or influence to shift the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From a mindset perspective, we can draw on ancient Stoic philosophy in such cases. Seneca and Marcus Aurelius reminded us that inner strength is built by clearly distinguishing between:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>what lies within our sphere of influence, where it makes sense to invest energy, change, and development,<\/li><li>and what lies outside our control, which we consciously let go of.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In such systems, leaders often suffer because they try \u2013 or are expected \u2013 to carry full responsibility for the flow of the entire system, without having real leverage for change. Team members, on the other hand, often wait for someone else to create the conditions in which they could work differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth is uncomfortable, yet liberating:<br><strong>if no one takes responsibility for flow, no one will experience it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that is precisely why ThinkZoe does not speak of flow as a goal, but as a consequence of a mature relationship to responsibility \u2013 both at the level of leadership and at the level of the individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">3. What can be done by the leadership and what by team members?<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A) Practical guidance for leaders (and how to mentally unload)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step for a leader is not to \u201cdo more,\u201d but to <strong>stop carrying everything<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Mental unloading:<\/strong><br>A leader is not a therapist, an entertainer, or the sole source of energy in the team. Their role is to create the framework \u2013 not to fill every gap. When a leader accepts that they cannot force engagement, a significant mental burden is already lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Clear expectations, not solving things for others:<\/strong><br>A leader can clearly articulate what kind of collaboration is expected, as well as the standards for communication and accountability. What they cannot do is live those standards on behalf of the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 System instead of constant interventions:<\/strong><br>A regular rhythm of activities (short check-ins, retrospectives, daily and weekly feedback protocols) is far more effective than occasional \u201cmotivational\u201d interventions. A well-designed system carries the team even when the leader is not physically present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Focus on influence:<\/strong><br>Leaders should consciously distinguish between what they can improve (structure, clarity, vision) and what they need to let go of (individual motivation, personal growth, inner resistance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>B) Practical guidance for team members: what it really means to \u201cwalk through the door\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a leader opens the door, someone still has to walk through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Collective ambition:<\/strong><br>A team can \u2013 even without a perfect leader \u2013 shape a shared agreement on how it wants to work and what kind of ways of working will support more flow. This is not rebellion; it is maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Taking micro-responsibility:<\/strong><br>Don\u2019t wait for ideal conditions. Start where you have influence: with clearer communication, better preparation, and greater presence in collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Active initiative, not silent criticism:<\/strong><br>If you see potential, speak it out. Flow begins with energy, not with waiting. Initiative involves risk, but it is also the only way for the situation to start moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2022 Relationship with yourself:<\/strong><br>Taking care of yourself also means not remaining in the role of a victim of the system. If you want more meaning, connection, or challenge, you need to bring part of that into the space yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Final thought<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flow is not a gift from the leader to the team. Nor is it something an individual simply \u201cearns.\u201d It is the result of each person in the system taking responsibility for their part \u2013 and letting go of what they cannot control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When this happens, real shifts begin to occur even in systems that appear calm on the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jaka Oman<\/strong><br>Author of the ThinkZoe concept<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/ko-je-vse-v-redu-pa-v-resnici-ni-ravnovesje-odgovornosti-v-ekipah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Link to the slovenian version of the article<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Link to the slovenian version of the article 1. No crisis, no movement! Recently, during a meeting with a client, I encountered a situation that is increasingly common in organizations today. A team is split across two locations, with no real connections, no sense of community, and no clear team rhythm. Communication is minimal, collaboration [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3047"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3049,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047\/revisions\/3049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecg.si\/clanki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}