Sorry, I don't do dishes!

A few weeks ago, I was in Tokyo, enjoying a meal at a small, bustling restaurant. As I waited, I noticed something which shouldn't have caught my attention nor struck me as unusual, but it did. As the servers were swamped with orders, the chef himself stepped out of the kitchen to serve my food—and even processed my payment later on.

So, what’s the big deal? You might ask. And honestly, I agree. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. But it reminded me of the struggles my wife has been facing while hiring staff for her newly opened restaurant.

Each position she interviews for seems to follow the same pattern. The cook says, “I will only cook and not do the dishes”. The server says, “I will only take the orders, but not help with the cleaning”. The Barista says, “I will only make coffee, but not take food orders” and on and on. While my wife is happily doing all of the above and more.

A similar moment played out in my workplace recently. After a team meeting, I got up to erase the whiteboard when one of my colleagues, unable to conceal their amazement, blurted out, “I have never seen the MD of a company erase a board!”

Well, I hope by now my amazement in Japan makes more sense. No hesitation. No “that’s not my job.” Just a simple, natural willingness to do what was needed to ensure the team, the firm, and the business succeed.

The best teams, the best businesses, and the best people don’t function on strict hierarchies of responsibility. They thrive because each person steps up when needed. You might have been hired for a specific role, but the people who truly Shoot to the Top are the ones who take ownership beyond their job title and role. Because success, both personal and professional, has never been built on the words “That’s not my job.”