Why You Have to Grab (Product) Ownership Instead of Waiting for It
Ownership isn’t just about having stuff. It’s about taking control, making decisions, and being in charge. Think of it like steering your own ship instead of waiting for someone to hand you the map. Yet, many talk about waiting for someone else to “give you the mandate.” Let’s dive into why ownership is more about action than waiting.
Autonomy and Empowerment
Waiting for ownership to be given implies a dependence on external factors. Those who understand the value of autonomy recognize that true empowerment is a product of proactive effort.
Leaders may withhold empowerment due to fears of losing control, and a lack of trust in their team’s capabilities. We often believe insecurity and a desire for singular recognition lead to reluctance in sharing authority, but often leaders may hesitate to empower if they perceive their team as unprepared.
Autonomy does not exist without empowerment and yet the paradox is that empowerment comes from taking an autonomous stance. Teams and Product Owners, (*which actually has ownership in the name!*) or Product Managers would do well to demonstrate that the team is responsive and is indeed very prepared for their mission.
Challenging the Status Quo
The status quo rarely willingly relinquishes control. To bring about change or innovation, individuals must seize ownership of their ideas, projects, or initiatives. You could also refer to this as organisational momentum. Remember Newton’s First Law of Motion (Inertia):
An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
You are this unbalanced force. History is rife with examples of innovators and pioneers who refused to wait for permission, defying conventional norms to take ownership of their visions.
The Nature of Power Dynamics
Chris Voss, hostage negotiator and author wrote in his book Never Split The Difference: “Everything in life is a negotiation, so you better get really good at it.”
Societal structures often perpetuate the idea that ownership is granted by those in positions of authority. However, a closer examination reveals that true ownership is a result of negotiating and navigating power dynamics. Whether in personal relationships, professional settings, or broader societal contexts, those who take ownership understand the intricate dance of power and assert themselves accordingly.
Which makes us circle back to Chris. The interesting thing is that everything about your job or role is probably negotiable. Inspired by Jurgen Appelo, I typically apply a form of delegation poker to expose and negotiate this power dynamic.
Much like Chris Voss dislikes paying the randsom and wants all the hostages (imagine splitting that deal down the middle!) You can use delegation poker to expose how much mandate you have. Then use that as an input for the discussion: “what would it take for me to move further to up the empowerment ladder.”
Bonus section for leaders: if you want to empower your team or product owners, use this to explain the behaviour you want to see to “give more mandate.”
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
Let’s circle back to the Scrum, since I mostly hear this comment in my Product Owner training. Why did Ken and Jeff pick such strange names for the accountabilities that are described in Scrum? (if you could not care less about Scrum, keep reading, it applies to your role too.)
What they tried to do is invoke an entrepreneurial spirit in the role. The person was supposed to act as if it was their own business, their own money. Entrepreneurs epitomize the ethos of taking ownership. Starting a business is an act of creating something out of nothing, a journey that demands initiative, risk-taking, and an unwavering belief in one’s capabilities.
In the entrepreneurial world, waiting for ownership is akin to waiting for success. Entrepreneurs recognize that success is something they must actively pursue. That was the behaviour they were looking for.
If you are not doing Scrum, that is fine too! but the person that looks after the product, maximises the value and genuinely looks after the customer has to be this entrepreneur.
Personal Growth and Responsibility
Ownership is intimately tied to personal growth. Taking ownership of one’s mistakes, failures, and shortcomings is an integral part of the journey toward self-improvement.
This means that to take more ownership is to fail more. Jocko Willink, author of “Extreme Ownership” would, in reply to “I was not given the mandate” probably say: “Good, now we have the opportunity to grow our skills until they can’t deny you.”
Those who wait for ownership to be given may find themselves stagnant, whereas those who actively take ownership use challenges as stepping stones to personal development.
Organisational hurdles
Change the system, not the people was my mantra back in the days when I was responsible for invoking more agile behavior in organizations. In doing so I realised that the folks in product have a far better chance to drive change than those in process roles.
Process roles typically reduce waste, risk and are focussed internally, but product roles typically create growth and value. Though it never seemed to be enough, it did get more attention.
Still many organisational hurles will remain, and that is fine. Running the obstacle course is what makes us stronger and faster. It makes clear what hurles need to be addressed.
In the end: if you have really given it everything and you can articulate in every shape that only thing holding you back is an organisation that will not move, then you are a valuable collegue in many other organisations. You are always in control.
Conclusion
I realise that this blog is probably one of my more “direct” writings, and it is because I am really passionate about this. Ownership isn’t about waiting for someone to hand you the keys. It’s about grabbing them yourself.
Whether it’s steering your life, making a change, or standing up for what’s right, taking ownership is a way of saying, “I’m in control, and I’m making things happen.”
I realise there are nuances to this, and if you disagree with this writing than that is totally okay too, but do ponder on this: “what would happen if I took (a small step) towards more ownership?
