Making A Difference: Are You An Owner?

Maurilio Amorim asked this question on his Making A Difference blog: Are You An Owner? The question doesn’t have to do with whether you own a business or the company that you work for, but with whether or not you take ownership. In whatever it is that you do to put money in the bank (and then spend it all), do you take ownership? Do you act like an owner or a worker?

I should be ashamed to say that I haven’t always behaved like an owner. I’ve usually been more of a worker. I show up, I do my job, and I go home. I’ve had times when I did my job as well as I could, and other times when I may have slacked off a little too much. Very rarely have I taken ownership, although the last few years I’ve been working on it.

Maurilio says:

This is not a legal distinction, but a psychological one. Interestingly, some business owners behave like managers or workers doing what's required of them and completely disconnecting from their jobs once the clock hits 5 p.m. Some hirelings whose heart and passion for their performance cause them operate more like owners. The more owners you have in your organization, the more successful you'll be, I'm convinced.

Do you take ownership for your job? In what ways do you take ownership? If you don’t take ownership, what is one thing you could do on your next workday to take ownership? If you actually own a business, or are self-employed, do you behave like an owner?