Nobody ever becomes an owner or an employee based on a pay-cheque. A pay-cheque doesn’t decide who is the owner or the employee. It is only the acceptance of ownership that decides the owner. Only when we feel like an owner within, do we behave like one. Our actions become those of an owner thereafter, and we take charge. A person who takes ownership, has a feeling of belonging. That means, ‘I belong to the organisation and the organisation belongs to me.’
Whenever a person takes ownership, two things change drastically:
- Their problem-solving ability, and
- Their decision-making ability
What is leadership if not these two things put together?
Do you want to stand out from the rest in this world?
Has it ever happened that you bought something from the store and something went wrong? You went back to the store and shouted at the person behind the counter. And the person said, ‘Why do you shout at me? I only work here. I’m just an employee.’
When a person says, ‘I only work here’, what is he really saying? He is saying, ‘I have no feeling of belonging. I only come here for a pay-cheque.’
When an employee treats an employer only as a ‘pay-cheque’, he will never make a good employee. Similarly, when an employer treats an employee only as a ‘money-making machine’, he will never make a good employer either. There must be a feeling of belonging that binds them together. It’s pretty common to see that people who walk in for a few bucks will also walk out for a few bucks.
The most important factor that brings a feeling of belonging is when people feel connected because of a meaningful purpose.
No matter what we do, we must take ownership!
Source: You Can Achieve More by Shiv Khera
