When the Phones Don’t Ring… Sometimes It’s Because They’re Broken
“Surely someone else is handling this.”
Recently, a client shared a story with me that perfectly captures this mindset.
Their business had just moved into a new building. Everything was looking good.
Except for one small detail.
The phones weren’t ringing.
In fact, the Managing Director even commented at one stage that perhaps the product wasn’t as relevant anymore because, well…
“The phones just aren’t ringing like they used to.”
Now, when phones stop ringing in a business, people start asking big, questions.
Is the market slowing down?
Are competitors stealing customers?
Is our product becoming outdated?
A slightly worrying observation.
Fast forward to a routine sales meeting.
One of the employees casually mentions, in the same tone someone might use to comment on the weather:
“Oh, by the way… a client told me the phone number we have listed online isn’t working.”
Cue the collective pause in the room.
Because here’s the twist.
The employee had discovered this earlier. A client had already mentioned it. But instead of flagging it immediately, checking with IT, updating the listing, or telling literally anyone in management…
The information just quietly sat there.
Waiting.
Until it appeared as a casual side note in a meeting.
Which leads to the rather remarkable discovery:
The phones weren’t ringing… because the phones weren’t working.
Mystery solved.
It’s funny, but it also highlights something important about accountability in teams.
Accountability has very little to do with your job description.
It’s about ownership mindset.
An accountable employee doesn’t think:
“Is this my job?”
They think:
“This doesn’t look right. Someone should know about it.”
They raise the issue.
They flag the problem.
They take the first step.
There is another layer to the accountability challenge that many leaders sense… but employees rarely say out loud.
It sounds something like this:
“This is my manager’s problem.”
“That’s above my pay grade.”
“I don’t get paid enough to worry about that.”
Of course, very few people would ever actually say those words out loud, but subconsciously the thought is often there.
So What’s Really Behind It?
Before we jump straight to fixing the problem, it’s worth asking an uncomfortable question.
What is actually driving this behaviour?
Is it laziness?
Is it a lack of commitment to the business?
Or is it simply the mindset of doing the bare minimum — ticking the boxes for the day and moving on?
Most employees would never describe their work this way, of course.
But if we’re honest, in many organisations there is a quiet undercurrent of:
“As long as I’ve done what’s in my job description, I’m covered.”
And once that mindset creeps in, something interesting starts to happen.
Problems become invisible.
Responsibility gets passed upward.
And ownership slowly disappears from the team.
The phone isn’t working?
Someone else will report it.
How Leaders Can Start Changing the Culture
The good news is that accountability is something leaders can actively build into their teams.
Here are a few practical ways to start.
1. Reward Ownership, Not Just Results
Many businesses only celebrate outcomes. Sales targets. Performance numbers. Final results.
But ownership often happens before those results.
Recognise employees who:
Raise problems early
Spot opportunities
Take initiative to fix small issues
When people see ownership being valued, they start practicing it.
2. Make It Safe to Speak Up
Sometimes employees stay silent because they fear looking silly or raising something “small”.
Leaders can change this by reinforcing a simple rule:
There are no small problems when it comes to customers or operations.
If someone notices something unusual, they should say it.
Even if it turns out to be nothing.
3. Replace “Whose Job Is It?” With “Who Owns It Now?”
In strong teams, responsibility is flexible.
Instead of asking:
“Whose department is this?”
Ask:
“Who can take ownership of this right now?”
That small shift changes the mindset from avoidance to action.
Because Sometimes the Phones Aren’t Ringing…
And sometimes the reason isn’t strategy, competition, or the market.
Sometimes it’s simply that everyone walked past the problem assuming someone else would deal with it.
The strongest teams don’t wait for perfect job descriptions or instructions.
They notice.
They raise their hand.
They take ownership.
And occasionally… they check if the phone is actually plugged in.
At The Virtual-Link, we help businesses tackle the real organisational challenges that slow teams down — from accountability and ownership to communication and performance.
We design customised online training programmes tailored to your organisation’s specific needs, helping your team build the mindset and skills that drive results.
If you’re ready to strengthen accountability in your team and unlock better performance, contact us for more information.
And don’t worry… our phones are always working.
About me
Hi, I’m Gretha,
Your Strategic Partner Behind High-Growth in your business.
Created by www.thevirtual-link.com
