Ownership, Investment, and Resentment

For a business to be great, there has to be ownership throughout the organization. The more people who take charge and make decisions as if they owned the company, the more inspired and intelligent those decisions will be.

But, how often do we feel we are alone, or almost alone, in getting things done the right way in our company or department? Many times the very best people are the ones who are overloaded with tasks and don't have time to think.

Here's a thought-jogger I hope can be of help if you run a department, a team, a store or a company.

Add up the investment you've made in the team you have--that includes salary, benefits and other things such as office space, education, perks, etc. Are you getting a fair return on that investment in terms of performance, ownership and fresh thinking?

Let's say you've estimated or your company has invested $350,000 a year in that team. Are you getting $350,000 worth of decision-making, ownership, initiative and expertise? If you were to start over from scratch with no team and decided to invest $350,000 to get things done, would you expect and demand more than you're getting today?

As leaders, we have to first realize how much we're investing, then give people the room to do their jobs and then hold them accountable. Assuming the team is filled with good people, you'll see more ownership from them. And you'll have time to do your job instead of a little bit of everybody's job.

Being a hero and doing too much of your people's jobs will not be appreciated, it will be resented by them and ultimately become the norm for them.

If you want real ownership and success, add up your investment and expect returns.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
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