5 Ways to Take Ownership at Work
Pressuring people creates compliance – only while they’re being watched.
Tasks can be imposed.
Ownership is taken freely, or it’s not taken at all.
Ownership involves two people, a leader who gives it and a person who takes it. Meddling leaders haven’t given ownership. Unwilling followers haven’t taken ownership.
5 Ways to Take Ownership at Work
#1. Belong to a team.
The restaurant on Navy Pier in Chicago was swamped July 4th. I noticed one server who seemed to be everywhere and doing everything. She seated guests, cleaned tables, delivered food, answered the phone, and checked on customers with a smile. I asked her why she was working so hard and she said, “I can’t let my team down.”
Owners respect the impact of their actions.
Owners feel responsible.
#2. Aspire to get ahead.
View ownership as a way to earn opportunity. You might not enjoy your job but own it. If you don’t, you may be stuck doing it.
If owning it doesn’t earn you an opportunity here, it will earn one somewhere else.
#3. Think of the ‘money’.
What motivates you? The pay off might be cash, honor, or self-respect.
Think of what you might lose when you’re seduced by drifting.
What do people like you do in this situation?
#4. Personal growth and mastery.
Go all-in so you can master new skills and develop new relationships.
What skills will you learn if you give it your best?
#5. Make decisions within your scope of authority.
Grab the bull by the horns, as long as you’re reasonably confident you aren’t causing harm.
Consider the impact of your decisions on others.
Don’t violate ethical standards.
Act in the best interests of others.
Owners go for it.
Why do some people take ownership while others drift?
Good Morning Dan,
Wow this really hit home. This last year I had to “take the bull by the horns” during the pandemic. Our CEO got a promotion right before the lockdown and was no where in sight. We lost several top manager employees and there we were only “a handful of hardworking staff members” left to figure how to keep our organization going. Staying in line with our mission my main focus was our mission and how to keep our staff safe while serving our community during a pandemic. There were no instructions for us to follow. We had to go for it staying within our ethics. I would tell myself each and every day “whatever happens show up to do what’s best for your team” – “That’s when I discovered you Mr. Rockwell and learned leadership skills that I use today. Your the best!!!!
Thank You
Marvin
Yeager
The teams thing: in a lot of places, a “team” is a group of people who share a manager, a space and an account to pay for consumables. In cases like these, and I think they’re quite common, nobody cares what happens about the “team”. Everyone knows how there’s “No ‘I’ in ‘team’ “, in cases like this, people grasp how there’s “No ‘U’ in ‘team’ ” either. Here’s a topic for you Dan: How to build a team with people who get no benefit from being in a team!