Getting your team to take ownership of their work seems like a simple idea, but getting it done can be harder than one might think.
To solve this classic problem, the first thing you have to do is diagnose why they don’t take ownership of their work. Here are a few of the most common reasons that lead to avoiding responsibility and some ways to help them start to take ownership.
When Team Members Lack Purpose at Work, Ownership Suffers
Consider the problem from your team members’ point of view. If they see their work as just a way to get a paycheck, they will do the minimum amount of work necessary to keep the job. Let’s be honest, why would anyone take responsibility for something they don’t care about? They are not going to take ownership until they care about the work.
It’s human to care about things, so you might start trying to find out, what do they care about? Everyone has hopes and dreams. If those hopes and dreams are outside of work, it’s going to distract them from doing a good job. However, if you can help them achieve their hopes and dreams through work, you can help them take more ownership of their job.
Try to getting to know your team better and see what they care about. If there is a way to align the job with their passions, you can get them to focus more and increase their efforts. After all, something attracted them to this job. Find out what turns them on and use their interests to increase their sense of meaning and purpose in their work.
When Team Members are Disengaged, They Don’t Take Ownership
Engagement is the amount of effort an employee spends on their work. If your team isn’t taking ownership of their work, that by itself is a sign of disengagement. The cure for disengagement is motivation.
I’ve written extensively about how to motivate your team. If this topic is interesting to you, I suggest you take a look at other articles where I break down the steps to diagnose each team member’s needs to find how to get them excited again. You’ll need to meet them where they are to get them to focus and try harder.
Assigning Tasks Not Responsibility
Sometimes your team members are trying their best. They seem to be engaged and committed to the organization, but they just don’t grasp what they should take ownership of.
This is a leadership issue. The most likely cause is that you have trained them to do tasks. They may think that doing what they are told means doing good job.
There is a fundamental difference between assigning someone tasks to complete and giving them responsibility for getting a result. If you train them to do a task, you send the message that this is the way you want them to do it. The risk is that eventually, external or tech changes will change the nature of the task. This can make the employee’s training obsolete. They are doing the task but not getting the result. Still, they may think they they are doing their job. So, they don’t take responsibility if it doesn’t work.
On the other hand, you can assign them responsibility for results and identify the task as a tool to achieve it. That way, you send the message that they have ownership of the result. This will encourage them to come to you with new tasks or processes that meet the need better.
Read more on this topic with my article in Forbes: Delegate Responsibility, Not Tasks.
Are You Micromanaging?
If your team isn’t taking ownership of their work, it might be a good time for self-reflection as a leader.
- Have you told them what to do and trained them how to do it right?
- Since you trained them, have there been any technological updates or external changes that have made the task different now?
- Do they need new skills?
Although training your staff to complete tasks seems like good management, this kind of leadership can lead to micromanaging. You have set expectations during training to get them to follow directions. However, they can’t take ownership of something if they are waiting for you to tell them what to do. You have to trust them if they are going to learn to take ownership.
Training employees to do tasks can be useful in some teams and some jobs. But if you are looking for them to take more ownership of their work, consider your leadership style. The best leaders build more trust, prioritize respect and self-esteem, and help them learn and grow.
Lack of Leadership Desire
The truth is, not everyone wants to be a leader. Not everyone cares about their job. Certainly, most people want to keep their job, and most people want to do a good job. But some people are not motivated by making an impact or taking a team to the next level.
Ownership is a leadership trait. When people don’t see themselves as leaders, or at least potential leaders, they are unlikely to do what it takes to have a positive impact on the organization. They may see themselves as career individual contributors. They perform a function and that’s that.
And that’s ok. Usually, they have other concerns that are more important to them. Their family, for one. Or a hobby or a non-profit cause. They may be most excited about going home to watch their favorite series on TV. If their passions are elsewhere, you are not likely to develop them as a leader.
As a leader, you’re going to have to manage individual contributors who may be very valuable and get a lot of work done. Still, it’s important not to confuse technical prowess for leadership ability. It’s your job to help everyone contribute their best, and to know who has real leadership potential.
Assess Their Leadership Potential
Finding out what they care about and demonstrating a sense that you care about their passions and well-being will motivate them to want to do a good job for you and please you. After all, if you have built a sense of belonging, friendship, and caring, they won’t want to let you down.
Make sure you identify anyone with the leadership potential and offer them opportunities to grow. Nurture their passion and bond over a sense of caring about the organization and its purpose. There are always high performers out there, hungry for more. Help them develop the leadership skills they need to succeed.
Additional Reading
One of my favorite books on this topic is Extreme ownership by Jocko Willink and Lief Babin. It’s a great read if you care about this issue.
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