Ownership is linked to decision-making, action, openness and taking responsibility. As Coleman (2012), stated, one of the biggest killers of organisational momentum is waiting for “someone else” to do something. And whilst it is possible for leaders to delegate tasks, they cannot easily delegate responsibility. Even when things go wrong it may not be their “fault” but it is still their responsibility. Coleman urges that we should live our leadership journey and our wider lives as if “no help is coming” solving our own problems and developing that culture in our organisation.
Why Ownership is Important
Mindset is an important determinant of action. Francesca Gino a psychologist and behaviourist at the Harvard Business School conducted many experiments with a large numbers and types of employees in a range of settings. The results demonstrated consistently that those people who had ownership, or felt they had ownership of their environment were more helpful and supportive of colleagues and willing to “go the extra mile” in terms of effort and reliability.
Leaders set the tone for their organisation. They can choose to be models of ownership or not. Blaming equipment, lack of resources or even worse, members of the team for failure set the cultural bar low which everyone else will copy leading to a downward spiral of poor expectation and fatalism. If leaders take responsibility, then the culture reverses. People stop hiding mistakes, take part in problem solving, develop a culture of generosity and collaboration which celebrates success. This is important because increasing pace of change, global competition and more equal access to technology and capital means that the mindset of leaders and the impact of this on their teams is a key differentiator. This is especially so in post-industrial economies where high tech, innovation and creativity depend on human capital as much as plant. As our Ownership Ambassador emphasizes an understanding of what it means to assume ownership should permeate the culture of the organisation.
How Leaders Demonstrate Ownership
Ownership is a state of mind but how we think, and feel is reflected in our behaviours. How we behave is seen by others and affect their relationship with us and the organisation. Demonstrating ownership can be summarised in a series of behaviours. Leaders who own what they do will spend time with stakeholders at all levels, they will talk with them but listen even better, learning from them and managing upwards when this is and asserting where necessary since caring enough about outcomes to respectfully disagree is a sign of ownership as is taking the initiative when experience and commitment demonstrate that it is safe to do so.
When working, leaders who own their work will communicate clearly with their team, sharing openly with them, modelling outstanding decisionmaking and because of this developing confidence in their team empowering them to act. But remember, tasks can be delegated but not responsibility! Leadership is synonymous with assuming responsibility. People will trust you and work more generously for you if they know you are responsible.
Leaders who show ownership model respect to everyone they work with. Respect is demonstrated by what you do was well as what you say. For example, good time management means that you don’t keep people waiting, having a clear personal brand which is based upon a mission will show self-respect as well as respect for others. Respect too can include elements outside of a job role for example, social responsibility. Engaging with causes other than just the bottom line can both enhance your brand but help to develop your understanding.
Part of taking responsibility means being future focussed too. This encompasses several components of leadership. A problem-solving approach to failure means working toward solutions rather than looking backward to blame. Critical reflection involves a personal journey of learning from each incident. While there must be a “no blame” culture where possible, this does not mean leadership can abdicate responsibility. If mistakes constitute feedback then it must be heard, understood and acted on to make the future better.
