One of our 10 leadership concepts is Leadership is Ownership.

Effective leaders own their organization’s results, good and bad. They accept ultimate responsibility for any outcome. This is the most challenging when results are bad, but when your team sees you accept the worst, they will be inspired.  

Winning Edge has identified 3 ways for a leader to embrace ownership: 

1. Personal accountability.  

Can you take ownership of something if you do not hold yourself accountable? Absolutely not! Personal accountability is an attitude of continually asking what I myself can do to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I desire. Accountability is also a process--one of seeing it, owning it, solving it, and doing it. It is a perspective that focuses on current and future efforts, rather than the past. This will create a sense of strength in us as leaders, allowing us to be unafraid to admit our mistakes.   

2. Begin with the end in mind.  

What inspires a person to take ownership? Strong leaders have a clear picture of their destination, they find peace and strength in knowing where they have been, where they are currently, where they are going, and they have an understanding of the necessary steps to take to reach the destination. Focus, courage, consistency, and inspirational leadership skills will give us all, as strong leaders, the necessary means to stand firm and own the process. We will be confident and determined in reaching the destination.   

3. Protect your people.  

Can you achieve your goals by yourself? Our people are our most important asset, and we need to treat them as such. We must put the right people in the right place doing the right things. Leaders who take ownership must protect their people in areas such as time, focus, learning from mistakes, health (mentally and physically), integrity, work-life balance, and leaders must simplify the job as much as possible.       

The leaders that influenced me the most were the ones who helped me appreciate and internalize these principles. When it is obvious to our people that we are holding ourselves accountable, moving towards the end game, we genuinely care about them, and we will help them remove all barriers, then everyone will be empowered to take another step.

Love to hear your success stories on how when you took ownership in something you could better manage and make it the best possible.