Why We Might Not Be Rowing the Same Boat#
I want to talk about something I’ve been thinking about lately: ownership. Ownership over our projects, our goals, and the products we create. Recently, I’m experiencing a bit of a disconnect. Tasks might be getting passed around without a clear owner, deadlines might feel a little loose, and that feeling of “this is MY project, and I’m going to crush it!” might not be as strong as it was.
I strongly believe this is happening because we are all working super fast on a million things at once. For example, we’re working in parallel on our new website, our new app, a new strategic partnership, and the digital transformation of some of our core processes.
This is not a first-ever problem. It can happen to some of the best companies we know of.
But what are some other possibilities behind it?
- Unclear Goals: if the big-picture goals aren’t clear, it’s hard to see how our individual tasks fit in. We might feel like cogs in a machine instead of superheroes saving the day (which, let’s face it, is basically what we do here).
- Department Silos: sometimes departments can feel like islands, each focused on their own thing. This makes it tough to collaborate and feel like we’re all working towards the same outcome.
- Fast-Paced Environment: when we’re constantly jumping from project to project, it’s hard to feel truly invested in any one thing. It becomes all about speed, not about doing things right and taking pride in our work.
The good news is that there are ways to fix this. Some of my thoughts:
- Focus on Quality: deadlines matter, but let’s not forget about quality. Feeling rushed makes it hard to take ownership.
- Celebrate Successes: let’s celebrate our wins, big and small. Recognizing and rewarding ownership shows it matters.
- Let’s Talk Goals: open communication is key. Can we get everyone together to talk about the big-picture goals and how each role contributes? Let’s set up a global prioritization.