by Jim Solomon and Bruce LaRue, Ph.D.

“Owners make Investments. Renters make Excuses.” – Quinn McDowell, Building Purpose Driven Leaders

During the “great resignation” of 2021-2022”, some studying this phenomenon claim that employers should strive to keep their employees happy. We suggest a different strategy – to retain top talent, leaders must develop an “ownership mentality” in their team.  Taking this approach will render a long-term solution that will not only have a positive impact for your customers, but also for your bottom-line. 

The results speak for themselves. Teams who take ownership of their work find fewer errors, better metrics, improved morale, and much happier customers.

“…having a team that takes ownership of their project are more dynamic, energetic and consistently making better decisions for the product, feature and the entire business,” claims Michael Carr.  In Michael’s studies, he found that teams with an ownership mentality distributes responsibilities, strengthens communication, encourages collaboration, increases innovation, and promotes growth.

Distribution of responsibilities leads to self-organizing teams who prepare for succession, backup, and overlap.  Collaboration becomes routine through the practice of cross-functional communications internally and externally. Accountability, first with self and then with the team, promotes growth and discipline.  Innovation blossoms through members who build off of each other by bringing new perspectives that may not have been included in a more stovepipe or individual approach. 

Craig W. Ross in his blog, Defining an Ownership Mentality, says “It seems everyone wants their team to “own the plan.” (Who wants people to “rent or lease the plan”?) It’s true: A team can differentiate itself in the results they deliver when teammates function with an ownership mentality. What’s often missed, however, is starting by defining an ownership mentality. If a team can’t define this powerful state of thinking and actions, they likely will have difficulty modeling it.  

Consider this formula:  cognitive clarity (mind) + emotional commitment (heart) = an ownership mentality.”

Using Craig’s formula, converting it into an Integrator Leader’s context, we suggest 3 strategies to build an Ownership Mentality in your team. 

Provide Purpose (mind)

Treat Employees as Owners (mind)

Show That You Care (heart)

Provide Purpose

People need direction to understand where they are heading. With this, they become significantly more inclined to move in a positive manner towards the vision or “next-state”.  “Purpose” provides employees with a sense of hope, that serves as the basis for their desire to contribute to the team effort. 

Direction must come from you as the leader.  This azimuth must be provided and reinforced regularly by sharing and underscoring your organization’s “Purpose” – it’s WHAT and WHY. Don’t assume that everyone knows this – remind your team of your WHAT along with a compelling rationale for the WHY. Staying on azimuth will add to your credibility, consistency, and communications – key elements of your team’s foundation of trust.

Providing “Purpose” offers prioritization and innovation. This is especially true in organizations with a high operational tempo (OPTEMPO) and competing demands where prioritization can turn chaos into rhythm.  It can take what your team may see as an impossible “whack-a-mole” atmosphere into clarity with priorities. It establishes boundaries and focus, allowing your team the freedom to be innovative in HOW they accomplish the mission. 

Treat Employees as Owners 

If you want your employees to have an “ownership mentality”, treat them as owners! 

Make employees feel important by encouraging them to think and act like entrepreneurs rather than as workers. Think out loud with your team to share your strategic thinking, reasoning, and strategies. 

Help employees feel like owners by keeping them informed with the big picture by providing a “canopy view” of the organization.  Be transparent – give a view of strategic metrics, financials, growth, and projections. Link how their work contributes to the strategic goals. 

Outline what challenges and changes are coming, why they are important, and how they will impact the team. Gain their buy-in by showing them how they are needed to help create solutions to achieve expected outcomes. `

Break down barriers to include workspaces, break areas, and virtual meetings. Do so by being accessible to employees at all levels to keep lines of communication open. Visit work and break areas regularly so it becomes a commonly accepted practice rather than an interruption. For virtual teams, join virtual meetings and other sessions as a participant instead of as a leader. Make direct calls to employees to check on them and to seek their insight.

Show That You Truly Care 

Get to know your people by taking time to genuinely learn about each one, especially those who are quiet or difficult.  Help each employee to feel that they “belong”, knowing that people want to feel as though they are a part and are important to the team.

Regularly talk and listen with each member of your team. Listen to them, making sure they know that you understand what they are saying.  During the busiest times, these moments can bring light to challenges that may appear to be insurmountable.

Often leaders fail to understand that their team wants to be asked how they would deal with problems as they arise, rather than telling them how to fix them. They want to share their insights. They want their leader to listen to them first about what changes needed to be made, discuss them as a team, and then implement the suggestions.

Be responsible to your team. Everyone is responsible for something at work – from individual tasks that contribute to the team, to collective or cross functional actions, all to get the “ball into the end-zone”.  You remain as a “resource”, prepared to guide or to assist as needed, to achieve positive outcomes. 

Treat all with dignity and respect. Ensure that this is understood to be a standard practice for all on your team that is not negotiable. 

Welcome feedback, using it for the good of the organization. Let your team know that not only do you appreciate their feedback, but that you expect it.

Ensure the team understands that their contributions matter. Include them in celebrations for wins and “after-action reviews” when missteps occur. Recognize good often, affirmation makes a positive impact. Leaders must look for good regularly.  Celebrate team wins, personal events, or days of importance, and occasionally with no real reason at all.

Show that you value your customers and coach your team to view things through the customers’ lens. Guide them to regularly ask themselves how their work impacts positively the customer, their organization, and their team.

 Integrator Leader Reflections

• Are you providing the azimuth for your team that all can understand? Do you regularly share the “canopy view”, laying out the What and a clear rationale for Why? 
• Do you treat all employees as “owners” ensuring that each operates with an “ownership mentality”?
• Do you truly care for every member of your team so that each feel that they belong? How do you satisfy yourself that this remains a priority, especially during the high demand times?