Who Owns It?

Written by Randy Mayes

I recently took a trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for a couple of speaking engagements. Due to flight schedules, I found it easier to fly into Chicago, rent a car, and drive the rest of the way. I had the car for a couple of days, using it to get around town and do some sightseeing. While I didn’t abuse the car, its overall care and condition didn’t matter much to me. Why? Because it wasn’t my car. It was a rental. As long as I returned it with a full tank of gas and no dings larger than a quarter, I was fine. And that’s exactly what I did—the bare minimum required to meet the rental agreement.

This is the same situation many leaders face with their teams. They wonder why employees aren’t more committed or accountable, frustrated that their people only do the bare minimum. You might think, “If only they were as invested in the outcomes as I am.” But here’s the truth: people are indifferent, at best, about things they don’t own. Just as I didn’t feel a sense of responsibility for the rental car beyond fulfilling my basic obligations, your team won’t feel a deep commitment to work they don’t have ownership of.

True accountability in a team comes down to psychological ownership. In most cases where accountability is lacking, the core issue is that the leader owns the work, not the people actually doing it. The leader sets the goals, defines the tasks, and checks for completion, while the team merely follows orders. When this dynamic is in place, employees don’t take full responsibility because they don’t feel like it’s theirs. They’re just renting their role, doing what’s necessary to meet expectations without investing themselves beyond that.

So, how do you change this dynamic and get your team to feel ownership? You involve them in the process from start to finish. Instead of simply assigning tasks and hoping for the best, invite your team into the conversation from the beginning. Engage them in everything from setting goals to defining success, solving problems, and implementing solutions. This gives them a sense of control and personal investment in the work. When people have a hand in shaping outcomes, they feel a deeper connection to the results.

Stop giving your team tasks to complete. Instead, empower and encourage them to take an ownership position. When people feel ownership, their mindset shifts from doing the bare minimum to taking pride in the work, and they hold themselves accountable for the results. This shift doesn’t just benefit them—it benefits the entire organization. People care deeply about what they own, and when they are empowered to take responsibility, they bring a level of commitment and accountability that simply can’t be achieved by assigning tasks.

In short, ownership breeds accountability. The more you can engage your team in the process, the more they will take responsibility for the outcomes—and the more they will care about the success of the organization as if it were their own.