Want Your Employees to Take More Ownership? Help Them Identify Where They're Falling Short

• Your employees lack organisational knowledge if they still require supervision for tasks you'd like them to complete on their own.
• Your employees lack an appropriate level of skill if they struggle to achieve efficiency, quality, and accuracy when completing their tasks.
• They lack the necessary attitude if they show a lack of willingness or low motivation or require more incentive to complete their tasks.

Employees that lack organisational knowledge should be encouraged to become independent.

• When an employee is confused or uncertain about how to measure the success of an activity, encourage them to ask, "What's the outcome you're looking for?"
• Instead of relying on you to answer all their questions, point your employees to documented processes in training manuals, onboarding documents, or internal information sharing systems.
• Provide informal communication networks like Slack or Instant Messenger so employees can address uncertainties with their peers and not with you.

• Ownership is about proficiency. Encourage your employees to engage in continued learning.
• Hire a trainer who specialises in a skill the team needs.
• Recommend coaches, courses, and certifications for employees who need to increase their abilities in certain areas.
• Provide opportunities for your employees to practice a skill and receive feedback on how they performed the skill.

When employees lack the correct attitude, they are reluctant to complete their tasks or achieve the outcome.

How to motivate employees:

• Share the advantages of new strategies or approaches when you implement changes.
• Create consequences for nonperformance.
• Help them to understand the urgency. When you place a high-priority task on your employee's plate, ask if they can keep their current deadlines or need more time if you prioritise it.