Most every client I speak to is interested in team building as a way to inspire employees to claim ownership and create a more cohesive culture.
And I almost always share that yes, team building is a powerful tool for identifying team communication or leadership issues that can both be fun and offer insights and applications to improve future behaviors.
But ownership is not something that you can inspire in just a day or two.
Like building a strong corporate culture, it is a process that a team building speaker can be a catalyst for, but it is something that demands the commitment and attention of organizational leaders to accomplish.
If you want your people to claim ownership, there are three very important key “C’s” that you will want to focus on:
1. Collaboration
Begin by accepting that you do not have all the answers… nor do you want them!
You want to know the right questions and then find the right person to ask. Depending on others contributions is the key to them feeling part of the crusade. Help each of your people become an expert to be sought out in some area, and encourage others to take advantage of the diversity and talent in your organization.
Also, you will want to involve them in decision making. If you treat them as owners instead of hourly employees, they will soon begin to act like owners and feel like their input and perspective is valued. Place people on committees and involve them in the decision making process for items that will impact them.
2. Connections
Build relationships and awareness throughout the organization. The more connected your people are to each other, and the larger web of relationships they build amongst coworkers, the stronger they will be invested.
Strong rapport and building bridges between people in different departments can create camaraderie, but you must also connect ALL of those people to the organization’s main goal. Give them a clear and informed look at the big picture and emphasize why you need their contributions and how that is part of accomplishing the overriding goal.
3. Challenges
Your people want to grow and learn new skills and be pushed to achieve new and interesting things. Nobody enjoys stagnation or thoughtless repetition. As a leader, one of the best ways to inspire ownership is to let your people know you see them as people who are interested in growing beyond their current position.
Even small opportunities to do something r learn something beyond the normal scope of their daily duties is a chance to. All leaders are in the business of personal development. It is your job to take an interest in their professional improvement, and they will appreciate it…
These three keys to inspire employees to claim ownership can be very helpful in creating the culture you desire. But like many other things, what sounds easy on paper is often more difficult in practice.
These are easy steps, but they are not simple – for they require you to fundamentally change behaviors for an extended period of time. But over time, you can build team trust and lay a foundation that soon will inspire the ownership behaviors you seek.
I encourage you to follow Sean on twitter or take a moment to connect with Sean on Facebook for additional information, quotes, and teamwork resources!