When No One Owns It, You Probably Do: Leading in the Gaps
There’s a moment in every fast-moving organization where something clearly matters—yet no one seems to own it. It’s not on a roadmap. It’s not in a charter. And still, it lingers: unfinished, unclaimed, and increasingly urgent.
I’ve come to see these moments not as accidents, but as opportunities. The most meaningful work I’ve done at GitHub didn’t come from a job description. It came from the gaps.
Gaps are where you get to experiment, to build, to prove something new can work. They’re messy and undefined—but they’re also where real impact happens. And for me, that’s always been the most rewarding part of working at GitHub: the freedom to step in, try something novel, and build something that didn’t exist before.
The Onboarding Gap
For nearly two years, no one really “owned” onboarding at GitHub. There were sessions for HR and IT, but nothing that grounded new employees—Hubbers—in how we work, what we value, or why it matters. We had incredible people joining, but no central experience to connect them to our culture or one another.
When someone tried to fix it, they left. And with constrained headcount and no formal backfill, the initiative quietly dissolved. It wasn’t anyone’s fault—it just wasn’t on anyone’s plate.
Eventually, my team saw the gap. And instead of waiting for permission, we made a proposal: “Create a uniquely ‘GitHubby’ onboarding experience that helps Hubbers get productive faster.” That became our north star.
We started small. Rolled out cohorts. Piloted sessions. Anchored the experience in GitHub’s values: Customer Obsessed, Growth Mindset, Own the Outcome, Diverse & Inclusive, and my personal favorite—Better Together. That last one captures our ethos perfectly: we believe every successful ship is built by a team, not a hero.
We took an iterative approach—quiet, deliberate, always listening. We made it easy for others to say yes. And as it gained momentum, we layered in improvements based on real data, real feedback, and real outcomes.
How to Lead in the Gaps Without Burning Out
When no one owns it, it’s tempting to either step in solo or step away entirely. But the sweet spot is somewhere in between. Here’s what’s worked for me and my team:
Build clarity without demanding credit. The impact should speak louder than the ownership. Make the work visible, not self-serving.
Enlist collaborators early. The fastest way to scale a new idea is to bring others in before it’s perfect. Treat them as co-creators, not approvers.
Define “done”—even loosely. Especially in ambiguous work, small wins matter. Think papercuts, not moonshots. Start with something light, easy to fund, and easy to prove. Then build from there.
This approach keeps investment low while signaling value. And it gives the work enough breathing room to evolve organically—without burning anyone out or stepping on toes.
Why Gaps Matter
Gaps are frustrating. They often emerge when someone leaves, when teams grow too fast, or when the org simply isn’t wired to catch them. But they’re also where leadership shines. Not the kind with a title—but the kind that quietly moves things forward without waiting for a spotlight.
Leading in the gaps isn’t glamorous. It takes trust, curiosity, and a lot of behind-the-scenes work. But when you do it well, it builds connective tissue across the org. It solves real problems. And it gives others permission to step in too.
At GitHub, we often say Better Together. I believe that deeply. Collaboration isn’t just a value—it’s how we lead, especially when the work is ambiguous. Especially when no one owns it.
So if you’re the one quietly holding something together, or building something no one asked for—but everyone needed—you’re in the right place. You probably already lead in the gaps. And that’s not just important work. That’s the work that makes everything else possible.