OddThoughts

I have been giving some thought to the concept of “ownership” specifically how it applies to a work environment.

Do you feel like you are an ‘owner’ at the company you are working?

Perhaps, more importantly, Should you feel like you are an ‘owner’ at the company you are working?

Not too surprisingly, this idea relates closely to my theories on responsibility and authority. If you do happen to actually own the company you are working at, then this post is probably not for you. I’m talking about a ’sense of ownership’

I was at an awesome presentation in my company the other day where the President/CEO commented “When was the last time you washed a rental car?”

The idea is that you put more “effort”, or at least “view” differently something that you “own” vs something that you just “do” or “rent”

I think a distinction can be made here between “owning your work”, and “owning your company”. Owning your work applies to all aspect of life including your job, it is part of personal integrity, deliverying what your promise to people when you promise it. Owning your work is tightly connected with bulding and maintaining your “Emotional Bank Account”. We all are responsible for owning or work.

Owning your company is a different concept. It doesn’t mean that you have to take on all the “worries” of the company yourself. It is not about being at the top or making the “big decisions”. It is about your ability to action, respond, and provide feedback within your company. It is about your role in your work environment.

I love the ‘washing a rental car analogy’. Your job is what you do on a daily basis, it is about achieving your commitments, satisfying your clients (internal and external)and feeling a sense of joy and pride. However, this is “ownership of the work” not the company.

Ownership of the company involves looking at what is around you and thinking to yourself..”What can I do to help?”, “How can I use my skills to improve things”, “What new ideas or tips do I have that might help others”.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you are a programmer on a particular. You job is to write software for your clients, test it, and deploy it. You are an owner of your work, you give estimates to your project manager, and work hard to achieve them, sending updates, risks, and problems as they occur. You enjoy your job and are happy with your work environment.

While at lunch, you overhear members of another project team, they are discouraged, having a problem meeting a deadline, or solving a particular problem. Perhaps this is not unfamilar to you, perhaps everyday you hear concerns from other project members of a similar nature.

Now, you are busy and working very hard to meet your deadlines on your project, your project is doing well and your clients are happy. You can emphasise with the problem you are hearing, you’ve been there before yourself. So you go back to your desk and continue working.

No one has asked for your advice, you don’t know the details of the “other project”, and perhaps you don’t even know the team members very well. Perhaps the other project is even in a different location alltogether. It’s not your project, and perhaps you feel you shouldn’t interfere.

In some cases, there are problems that are occuring that you are not even “aware of”. People may not even be taking in lunch rooms or common areas as far as you know, “everybody is doing great !” and you are unaware of any reason to think differently.

None of this is a “bad” thing, it does not make you a “bad” employee. If fact you are probably a very good employee, you maybe known to others as a person that can be “counted upon”. However, in this situation you are not an “owner of your company”

Should you be an “owner of your company?”

The short answer…”It Depends”

Another phrase runs through my head something like “Too many cooks spoil the broth”. If I own my own car, sure I wash it and take care of it. If I own my company it stands to reason I will take care of it too. But what if everyone tries to was “my car” ? ..and what if I don’t like the way “they do it” ?

My dad taught me to pick my battles wisely. The same is true with ownership. It is great to be an owner of your company, but it is also important to choose wisely where you want to invest your time and how you want to invest it. You want to find the balance that works best for you. There is no absolute right/wrong, however there are some things that might help keep you on the “right” track.

When you refer to the company you work at do you use phrases like “At my company we…”, or do you say “At [Your CompanyName], it’s done this way”, or “Corporate does this or that”.

Do you feel empowered in your job? I’m not taking about your ability to make decisions, I mean do you know you feel your thoughts, and ideas are recognized, and given consideration if/when shared with others. Do you believe you can make a difference in your company?

Most of us spend at least 40/hrs week at your jobs..that’s almost 1/4 of your life. It’s only going to be as good as you make it..so what do you want to do about it ?

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