So you’re a middle manager who runs a department for your company. You’ve got a staff of 7-10 individuals…maybe more. What mindset do you have in regards to your role? Glorified babysitter? Prison warden? Cruise ship activity director?

Try this one: act like you own the place. Yes, I’m talking about ownership. You may not own the company, but act like you own your piece of it. What does this look like?

If you truly owned your space in the company and this department was a reflection on you (hint – it is!), would you be satisfied by what you see?

• Is the area clean and tidy? Messy work areas can lead to sloppy work getting done. If customers/outside team members come into your area, what does the mess communicate to them? Nothing positive! Clean it up. You own it!
• Is your staff representing your department in a way that promotes respect and professionalism to others in the company or customers? If not, set some standards and make it so. You own it!
• Are you hitting your numbers? If you owned your business, your production and bottom line would be your life’s blood. Why should it be different if you “own” a portion of the business. Your paycheck is not something you should take for granted. Get results! Find efficiencies and save money! Streamline processes! You own it!

Next time you are at work, stop and look around. Ask yourself, “if I really owned this space, would this be a positive or a negative reflection on me and the company?”

Get involved in ownership and you’ll see a real difference. Work to get the staff’s buy-in, too. Work becomes more meaningful. Being productive and seeing improvements in your results is fun and energizing. There really is no down side to acting like you own the place. So own it!