“I want my employees to think like an owner.”

“Oh, really?” I respond. “Then we would have a company of chiefs and no workers. Do you really want your employees to think like an owner?”

Employee Empowerment Cartoon

Too Many Chiefs

Before you say, “I want my employees to think like an owner,” consider why most entrepreneurs go into business. They want more control of their time. They want more money.

Ironically, most small business owners have less time and are usually constantly worried about money.  It’s hard to build a business. Starting is easy. Making money is hard. Making money is a requirement for building a business.

Most employee-types would rather someone else do the hard work and that’s a good thing. Considering the majority of small businesses fail within the first five years and the number one reason a business fails is cash flow, it is much safer to work for someone else than work for yourself.

Dig Deeper

So the next time you say to yourself, “I want my employees to think like an owner,” dig a little deeper and you’ll find that you really want your employees to act more independently, to think for themselves. So perhaps the better question to ask is, “Why don’t my employees act more independently?”

You’ll probably discover that you haven’t allowed them to think. Are you building a business, or do you own your job?

Get the correct tools in place, let go, and you may be surprised by the outcome.

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