Confusing ownership with heroism
We all hear the word “ownership” at work. It often sounds like it means you have to be the one who does everything, solving every problem and handling every changing task until the project is done.
I used to think that way too. When I took on a project as “the owner,” I felt like asking for help was a weakness. I thought if I couldn’t figure something out by myself, it meant I wasn’t truly owning it. Does that sound familiar?
What I believe ownership means
You all know that projects get messy, requirements change often, and unexpected problems come up. You can’t plan for every single issue, and you can’t solve them all by yourself.
True ownership isn’t about working alone. It’s about being the person who is responsible for the project’s success or failure. And that is a very different way to look at it.
If a project fails because you tried to do everything by yourself and didn’t mention problems early enough, or if you didn’t ask for help when you needed it, then that’s on you. The “owner.”
Trying to do it all alone
Think about a common situation: you’re leading an important integration, and you get stuck. Maybe the documentation isn’t complete, or the test environment isn’t working right. You spend days trying to fix it, believing you have to figure it out because you “own” this part. Your pride, or a wrong idea about responsibility, keeps you from speaking up.
By the time you finally say you’re stuck, a lot of time has been lost. The project timeline falls behind, and suddenly, the whole team feels the pressure. This isn’t about how good you are at coding; it’s about not truly owning the project. Your job as the owner wasn’t just to write the code. It was to make sure the project moved forward, even if that meant asking for help.
What you should do instead
So, if working alone isn’t necessarily ownership, what is?
- Be the first to spot problems: Your main job as an owner is to see issues before they become big problems. This means looking at risks, understanding what depends on what, and noticing anything that could stop progress. When you see something, speak up quickly. Don’t let it get worse.
- Learn how to ask for help: This is perhaps the most important skill. Ownership means knowing when to bring in an expert, when to ask others for decisions, or when to simply say, “I’m stuck, can someone take a look?” It doesn’t show you’re weak; it shows you’re smart and committed to the project’s overall success.
- Lead, don’t just do: Sometimes, owning a problem means you’re the one who gets the right people together to solve it, instead of solving it yourself. You are the one who makes sure everyone has what they need and that roadblocks are removed.
- Talk all the time: Whether it’s good news, bad news, or “we need help” news, talking to people is your best tool. Keep everyone involved informed, manage what they expect, and be open about everything.
Understanding this bigger idea of ownership will make your projects go smoother. You’ll go from being the person who does everything to the person who makes sure everything gets done.
Next time you’re told to “own” a project, remember that it’s not about being the only one holding the shovel. It’s about being the one who makes sure we have enough shovels, and if we hit a big rock, you’re the first to point it out and get power tools, instead of hitting the rock with a shovel as hard as you can.
P.S. I never held a literal shovel. I hope the metaphor sticks with the shovel experts.
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