Drive ownership on your team

Concrete tools for creating high accountability, solution-oriented organizations

As teams conclude new year planning and begin getting down to the often challenging work of design and execution, many may crave greater shared accountability for group outcomes and autonomous action that solves problems instead of passing the buck.

That’s because organizations and teams with higher levels of ownership exhibit greater productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Team members are happier, and so are customers. And because the burden of leadership is shared more evenly, managers and leaders get to spend more time on important strategic functions instead of fighting fires.

So, how can leaders, managers, and team members engage in smart actions to drive ownership among their employees and peers? We’ve compiled three of our best tools:

An Ownership Strategy

Building an Ownership Culture can be challenging, especially if people have been passing the buck for years. Trying to get people out of a mode of being “good enough”—or worse, being a “victim”—often challenges deep-seated behaviors and beliefs. 

Yet over time, we’ve found that individuals, teams, and organizations can shift into new ways of thinking and acting - if team leaders, managers, and champion employees engage in an intentional effort focused around 4 key tools.

Connection to Purpose

Few factors drive ownership like a stronger connection to purpose. Yet most companies and teams - including mission-driven organizations - fall short in helping employees feel valued for their work and understand the importance of their contribution.

While many companies spend countless hours, resources, and money crafting the perfect purpose statement to proudly display on their websites and social media channels, few organizations ask - and act on - an essential question: How do we bring our purpose down from the C-Suite to the managers and employees who need to actually feel it, and live it? Check out our blog on 3 simple purpose tools you can use to motivate your team and drive greater ownership.

Team Development

Once you have an ownership strategy in place, it’s time to develop the mindsets, skillsets, and ultimately, new behaviors that put proof in your pudding and actually lead to real change. That’s where team development activities like training, coaching, and facilitated off-sites can help you establish and operationalize a true ownership mentality.

Contact us to find out how The People Piece helps values-driven organizations like yours to develop high-ownership employees, managers, leaders, and teams. We’ll get to know more about you and your needs, then develop and deliver custom programs and activities designed to drive true transformation, engage your people, and help you achieve even better results.

High- and low-ownership teams are like day and night - the former inspire action and excitement, while the latter can make you want to curl up into a ball and go to sleep.

Remember that developing high-ownership teams doesn’t just mean increased productivity, efficiency, and innovation—it also means happier people, healthier cultures, and an organization where everybody leads.

We’d love to hear about your challenges and success stories in this space. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help, visit the Solutions section of our website or get in touch with us here.

Good luck!

Roni and The People Piece team

PS - In just 5 weeks, The Great Place to Work Summit comes to San Francisco. We are excited to be present again this year for this informative and inspiring annual gathering of leaders, employees, and practitioners who care deeply about developing extraordinary workplace cultures. Click on this link to learn more and receive a $300 discount on your ticket. We hope to see you there.