From Collaboration to Commitment — How to Get Your Employees to Take Ownership

There's a large quality betwixt an worker completing tasks and 1 taking afloat ownership of their work. One is engaged, and the different is invested. An engaged worker meets expectations, follows instructions and completes the job. An invested worker looks beyond the task, asks why it matters and seeks ways to amended results.

When I founded ButterflyMX successful 2014, I quickly realized that the situation isn't getting labor to do their jobs; it's getting them to attraction astir the outcomes arsenic overmuch arsenic you do. You tin delegate responsibilities, group deadlines and way performance, but existent ownership can't beryllium forced. It has to beryllium cultivated.

Teams pinch invested labor execute better, collaborate much efficaciously and thrust existent business growth. When labor return ownership, they extremity moving conscionable for a paycheck and commencement moving purposefully. Ownership isn't conscionable thing a fewer high-achievers are calved with; it's thing immoderate head tin intentionally build into their team culture. Let's break down really to make that displacement happen.

Related: 4 Ways You Can Create a Culture of Ownership

Why labor don't return ownership (and really to alteration that)

If you want labor to return ownership, you must understand why they're not doing it already. Most of the time, it's not a deficiency of motivation; thing successful the workplace civilization prevents it.

1. Lack of clarity = deficiency of ownership

No 1 tin return ownership of thing that hasn't been intelligibly defined. If labor don't afloat understand their roles, responsibilities aliases really occurrence is measured, they'll hesitate to take initiative. Instead of stepping up, they'll hold for direction.

Fix it:

• Define roles, responsibilities and goals pinch precision.

• Ensure each worker knows what's expected of them and really their contributions fresh the bigger picture.

• Set clear KPIs that measurement occurrence beyond conscionable "doing the work."

• Establish ownership astatine the commencement of a project. Who is responsible for what, and really will advancement beryllium tracked?

2. No room for decision-making

If labor consciousness their input doesn't matter, they won't transcend the minimum requirements. Ownership is astir having a opportunity successful really the activity gets done.

Fix it:

• Give labor the autonomy to make meaningful decisions.

• Instead of dictating each step, let squad members to person a sound successful processes that impact them.

• Ask their opinions: "How do you deliberation we should attack this?"

• Give them the state to trial their solutions.

3. Fear of nonaccomplishment kills initiative

If labor fearfulness that mistakes will beryllium punished, they'll play it safe. No 1 takes ownership of thing erstwhile they consciousness a misstep could harm their estimation aliases career. Fear crushes initiative.

Fix it:

• Normalize nonaccomplishment arsenic portion of the maturation process.

• Shift the mindset from "failure is bad" to "failure is data."

• When thing doesn't spell arsenic planned, ask: "What tin we study from this?"

• Encourage problem-solving complete blame. Help labor troubleshoot and amended alternatively of shutting them down.

Related: This Weekly 20-Minute Exercise Will Fuel Purpose and Ownership successful Your Workplace

Strategies to foster ownership successful your team

If you want labor to return ownership, you must let them to do so. Ownership doesn't hap by accident; it's built done a civilization that encourages initiative, rewards accountability and gives group the autonomy to return charge.

1. Involve labor successful goal-setting

People are much committed to goals they thief create. If goals are dictated from the apical down, labor whitethorn comply, but they won't consciousness personally invested.

Shift from mounting goals for your squad to mounting them pinch your team:

• Instead of handing down quarterly KPIs, clasp a strategy convention wherever labor specify their cardinal objectives.

• Ask: "What do you deliberation is simply a realistic but eager goal?" and "What do you request to succeed?"

• Guide the conversation, but fto labor specify their occurrence metrics.

2. Give labor a opportunity successful really activity gets done

Micromanagement is the fastest measurement to termination ownership. If labor consciousness for illustration they person nary power complete their work, they'll extremity taking inaugural and hold for instructions.

Shift from managing tasks to managing outcomes:

• Instead of prescribing each item of really a task should beryllium executed, intelligibly specify the desired consequence and fto labor fig retired the champion measurement to execute it.

• Ask: "What attack do you deliberation would activity best?" and empower them to trial their ideas.

• Be disposable for support, but don't measurement successful unless they request guidance.

3. Hold group accountable

Ownership thrives successful environments wherever accountability is clear but supportive. If accountability only happens erstwhile thing goes wrong, labor will debar work alternatively than clasp it.

Implement play check-ins focused connected advancement and solutions:

• Replace "Why isn't this done yet?" pinch "What roadblocks are slowing you down?"

• Make check-ins collaborative. Focus connected problem-solving and strategy adjustments alternatively than conscionable position updates.

• Encourage labor to bespeak connected their progress: "What's moving well? What would you alteration adjacent time?"

4. Recognize and reward ownership

People repetition what gets recognized. If you only reward hitting targets, labor will attraction connected numbers. If you besides reward inaugural and accountability, labor will return much ownership.

Publicly item labor who show ownership, not conscionable those who deed goals:

• Call retired labor successful squad meetings who proactively solved a problem aliases took inaugural connected a project.

• Send a speedy Slack aliases email shout-out to admit erstwhile personification demonstrates ownership.

• Reward behaviors, not conscionable results: "I admit really you took the lead connected this; it made a large impact."

Related: 4 Leadership Methods for Empowering Employees and Building Strong Teams

Getting labor to return ownership isn't astir demanding more; it's astir giving them the confidence, clarity and autonomy to perpetrate fully. When labor feel empowered to make decisions, return the inaugural and spot their impact, they extremity moving to cheque boxes and commencement moving purposefully. They don't hold for direction; they measurement up, problem-solve and thrust results.