Identity the Exactly One Owner!
It's tempting when you're talking about an big initiative, or individual tasks to list a few names of people who will advance something. But something I learned many times, especially during the high-growth times at Halfaker and Associates, is that responsibilities need exactly one owner.
When you're making a list of tasks, it's tempting to list 2-3 names, so we'd sometimes use the nomenclature of "OWNER (SUPPORTER, SUPPORTER)", such as "Peter Parker (Mary Jane, Uncle Owen)" to clarify who that exactly one owner will be to own something. An initiative with either no owner or several helpers and no single owner will often just sit, as everyone thinks someone else will push it down the field.
This is similar to the psychology concept of the Bystander Effect, where if you yell help in a crowd of people, everyone thinks someone else will help -- if you need help, ask someone specific, such as pointing at someone and saying "Hey, you in the red shirt -- please call 911 while I help my friend."
