The Accident
About 4 years ago, 2 days before Christmas I had a car accident, the car was pretty much damaged. I was loaned a car over a long weekend by my insurance company pretty much - a courtesy gesture, while my car went through repair works. Since at the moment I didn’t need the car, my friend and his buddies hatched a plan to get away for the weekend… way past Eldoret… half way across the rift valley. Driving in shifts they raced against the clock, knowing the car had to be back in 60 hours. They barely saw the beauty of the landscapes leading into Naivasha town before continuing on to Nakuru (and the untimely demise of a stray dog who smashed a headlight and dented the panels). Then they braved muddy floodwaters near the Uasin Gishu district and completely submerged the car. Miraculously they were able to restart it and drag the car back home. But there was no miracle for its condition – smashed, scratched, flooded and full of mud. Tuesday morning came, they returned what was left of the car, paid a paltry insurance excess and walked away. True story.
That’s what a lack of ownership will do. You’d never treat your own car like that. But there’s a proclivity in human nature that treats what belongs to someone else without respect, unless we cultivate a sense of ownership. Do you, and/or your team treat that company you work for like a borrowed car? Do you treat other people’s time and stuff as a borrowed car? You know you’ve got a ‘It’s borrowed and I care less Syndrome’ when you and/or your team doesn’t value the customers, the assets, the products, the reputation or the vision of your organization like the proprietor or [the boss] does; When you keep people waiting at your office door for hours as if their time does not count for anything. In great individuals and teams you get the sense that every person sees himself or herself as an owner.
My Little Gadget!
The first time I ever invested a significant chunk of my hard earned cents on a cell phone is when I bought an E-series Nokia phone, and I worked out pretty fast that if I needed help with my little gadget, I should go to Nokia, not to the phone company that sold it to me. I won’t name the phone company to protect the not-so-innocent but they represent what is worst about modern businesses. Staff blaming each other, repairs being outsourced to someone you can’t even speak to, you wait 30 minutes on hold to have some guy waffle about a ‘glitch in our system’. To be honest, I am a culprit on this, I’ve once used the same line to a client in my banking career, but hearing those words as a customer leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t know about you.
But take your cell phone to one of Nokia’s service shop, and a lady or a gentleman with a white Pollo-shirt that reads “Nokia Care” will sit down with you and help you… face to face… because they love their product… they’re proud of it… and if something is wrong… they’ll fix it on the spot.
So how can you as an individual or as a leader develop a culture of ownership in your own life and that of your team ? It goes deeper than attaching people’s pay and bonuses to performance measures; All that is great. By contrast I’ve led teams in both for profit and Not-for-profit volunteer organizations where tens of people, if not hundreds have demonstrated deep levels of ownership without receiving a cent or an extra cent for it.
"A Leader is one who KNOWS the way, SHOWS the way and GOES the way. A manager says 'GO', a Leader says, 'Let's Go'." ~ John Maxwell
My Top 5 Ownership Strategies-
- Demonstrate it daily. They’re watching what you do, not what you say. Do a standard check. If the standard is low, first do standard reset for yourself, then others will pick it up.
- Reward ownership wherever you see it. You get what you focus on so make heroes (and managers) of those who are exemplars of true ownership.
- Shift your language from “I” and “my” to “we” and “our”. It’s our business and we have a great opportunity here. It’s our relationship; It’s our marriage, We will make it work. This are our kids, we will raise them together.
"A manager says 'go', a leader says 'let us go'." ~ John Maxwell
- Allow people to take responsibility and authority. If you micro-manage people on your
team , or you delegate responsibility without giving authority for execution, don’t be surprised when they shelf these ownership vibe.
- Make sure your people can own the successes too. Ownership should include sharing in the plunder, not just the problems. That’s right.
I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Share your own ‘Ownership Strategies’ with [the.champs.mind] blog family.
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