Often, we are happy just to see dishes being placed in the sink.  Getting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher is another level of commitment.  Clearing the table highlights the 80-20 Rule (80% of the work completed by 20% of the people).  Many organizations create board and staff expectation statements that are the equivalent of getting dishes to the sink.  Then we hear grumblings about why only one or two people fill the dishwasher.  We request names of prospective members and donors but only a few people follow-up by contacting the names on the list.  We ask for volunteers to attend a program and the same few individuals offer their time.  We ask for network connections and are displeased when only one person offers a suggestion.

We need to write better expectation statements or get comfortable assigning the final actions to complete a task.  It is up to us to define the scope of work, why act hostile towards those who thought clearing the table stopped at the sink?  We are at our best when we set people up for success.