There are five words that instantly kill a career: “That is not my job.”
In the Industrial Age, this was a valid defense. You were paid to turn a specific screw on a specific assembly line. If you touched the other screws, you broke the union rules. But the assembly line is gone.
Today, we are not paid for “tasks.” We are paid for Outcomes.
The Distinction
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The Amateur protects their scope. They build walls around their desk. If the ship is sinking on the other side, they say, “My cabin is dry.”
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The Professional protects the mission. They understand that if the ship sinks, their dry cabin goes to the bottom of the ocean too.
The Hidden Cost: When you say “It’s not my job,” you are technically correct. But you are strategically suicidal. You are signaling to the market (and your leadership) that you are a Commodity. You are defining yourself by your constraints, not your capabilities.
The Protocol: If you see a fire:
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Put it out (if you can).
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Sound the alarm (if you can’t).
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Never walk past it.
Walking past a problem is an act of approval.
#DhandheKaFunda: Your job description is a suggestion. Your responsibility is the outcome.