The Power of Ownership

According to sportscasters across the country, Super Bowl 2010 (XLIV) was different from the rest for one simple reason—an NFL Championship has never meant so much to a city. Monday morning after the Super Bowl, quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees told Good Morning America, “We gained so much strength from our fans, from the people of New Orleans, just knowing how much they care about us … All we’ve wanted to do is win a championship for them.” The level of ownership exhibited by the New Orleans Saints for delivering an NFL Championship to the people of New Orleans, who have been through so much hardship since hurricane Katrina, is nothing short of awe inspiring—and particularly instructive.

Ownership among a group of people for a goal, dream, result, or triumph, is a remarkably powerful force, whether in football, business, or life in general. Individuals, teams, and organizations that attain the highest levels of ownership, as exemplified by the New Orleans Saints, can achieve the impossible. So how can you and your team achieve such levels of ownership? Let’s begin with a definition of ownership. We define it as the ability to tie where you are with what you have done and where you want to be with what you are going to do. In our view, if you cannot “make the tie” then you don’t Own It. This definition includes: (1) being personally invested in the situation, (2) acknowledging your involvement, (3) creating and maintaining a sense of alignment, and (4) committing to your personal and team objectives. Think of the power your organization would have if everyone in it were fully, deeply, personally committed to achieving the desired organizational results. Personal commitment—ownership—lies at the heart of accountability and thus at the core of every Culture of Accountability. So, what level of ownership does your team or organization exhibit? Consider the following four levels of ownership and which one best describes your team or organization.

-Resist/Resent. At the lowest level of ownership, people disagree intellectually with the course of action or desired result and are not emotionally involved, at least not with positive emotions. They have committed neither their minds nor their hearts to the endeavor. People at this level of ownership do not recognize a need to change, resent being asked to do things differently, and resist efforts to move forward.

-Exempt/Excuse. People at this level of ownership agree intellectually but are uninvolved emotionally. Either they consider themselves exempt because they’re “too busy,” or they make excuses because they “can’t get to it.” People at this level of ownership will not move forward. They may think change is a good idea, but it applies to everyone except them.

-Comply/Concede. People at this level disagree with or are uncertain about the endeavor from an intellectual standpoint, but they’re emotionally invested enough, on the grounds of loyalty, professionalism, or other considerations, to take action. People who comply with requests and concede to move forward can often produce solid results. However, while they may be aligned with an organizational direction, people at this level can still lack what it’s really going to take to get the desired result.

-Buy-in/Invested. At the highest level of ownership, people agree with a course of action intellectually and have an emotional desire to actively participate. Both their minds and hearts are engaged and they are thoroughly invested and vigorously involved. These people find it easy to “sign up” and readily see the advantages that they and their team or organization will gain by buying-in and becoming fully invested.

Helping people, teams, and organizations reach the highest levels of ownership is one of management’s greatest challenges, particularly during times of difficulty and change. But it’s certainly worth the effort, because one committed and engaged person is worth ten who are less committed and engaged. The most effective leaders are those who work tirelessly to move people to higher levels of ownership, just as head coach Sean Payton did with the New Orleans Saints. He changed the team’s culture from “hoping to win,” to “expecting to win,” by not only exemplifying his own high level of ownership for results but also by constantly challenging and guiding his team to “own” what it takes to win an NFL Championship. Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for their Super Bowl win and to the people of New Orleans for showing us what it means to “own” a comeback.