Ahhhh, the gift of ownership.
Ownership.
It’s one of those words we CEOs like to throw around to complain about that feeling that everything in our business rests on our shoulders.
And I get it.
It’s easy to throw up your hands when someone on your team isn’t performing the way you want them to. It’s easy to say, “Screw it! I’ll just do it myself!”
But that kind of behavior just feeds the problem.
The more you do for your team (even the well-meaning ones), the more you’re telling them that they don’t, in fact, have any ownership. They may not even realize that they’re getting this message, but you can bet that they’ll start behaving like they are.
The tricky part is you might not even be able to put your finger on what’s off. After all, they’re keeping up with their required tasks. They may even be a delight to work with. So why are you feeling so exhausted all of the time?
It may be that you’re allowing your team to own certain tasks and responsibilities, but not the results of their position.
I’ll say it again for you folks in the back:
If you want to get out of the day-to-day mess of your business, you need to let your team own the results of their position.
So what the heck does that mean, Tamara?
Well, first, it means that you need to be really clear about what results you expect from each person on your team. When you can clearly tell your Customer Happiness Manager that they are accountable for making sure every customer has a remarkable experience, then it’s up to them to figure out how to make it happen. (And to be ok with standing on a table and making sure everyone knows when something is blocking that from happening.)
This is very different from telling your Customer Happiness Manager that they own “Replying to Customer Inquiries.” Sure, that’s a big part of what they DO every day, but guess who’s still up at night worrying about whether your customers are happy or not? YOU!
Recently I was talking shop with fellow entrepreneur, Lindsey Wander from WorldWise Tutoring. She shared how she was able to give a trusted leader in her team complete ownership of the results of one entire service offering. She told me how it felt good to delegate, “because I’m giving someone a job they’re really good at.” Lindsey got not to be bogged down in the details of the service offering AND her trusted leader got an opportunity to do some work they love.
Of course, she had to be clear about outcomes and standards, but then she could just step back and let her fly.
Just a few words of advice when taking this approach…
Write down the results you’re looking for. (Yes, with actual, written words).
Review the results with the employee and get their feedback. Are your expectations realistic given current constraints of time, staffing, or skill?
Measure the expected results regularly. At least monthly. (But I love weekly.)
Give your employee regular opportunities for feedback on their performance, to ask for feedback on your leadership, and to identify obstacles that need to be removed. (ESPECIALLY in the beginning.)
Just imagine. If someone else on your team cared as much as you do about the most important results in your business. Wouldn’t it be lovely?
Still not sure how to communicate your desired “results” to your team so you can truly get out of the weeds? You’re not alone! We help our clients do this every day.
We’d love to chat about how we might help you do the same!