Organizational ReWilding is based on the concept of rewilding in nature, a process that occurs when a missing element is reintroduced into an ecosystem. While there are many useful parallels between the two systems, there is a fundamental difference between them: biological ecosystems come about naturally without human intervention, whereas businesses are consciously created.
The process of starting a business requires someone with vision, imagination, and a high level of risk tolerance; businesses do not spontaneously appear. The owner is concerned about all aspects of the business, including profit, cash flow, competition, employees, and cost control (among others).
While the owner is primarily concerned about the business, employees are mostly concerned about themselves. Employees tend to think about their paycheck, benefits, job security, immediate tasks, recognition, work environment, and potential for advancement.
To be clear, it’s not wrong for employees to be concerned about themselves or motivated by rational self-interest. Owners and employees simply think differently; they focus on different concerns. There is a distinction, though, between having concerns about yourself and that being your only concern.
The business will function at a higher level when employees adopt a change in mindset to what we call Ownership Thinking. This is especially true for individuals in leadership and management positions. In his book Ownership Thinking: How to End Entitlement and Create a Culture of Accountability, Purpose, and Profit, author Brad Hams defines Ownership Thinking this way:
Ownership Thinking is about moving employees away from only the “me” way of thinking and towards the concerns of the business and its financial performance.
By adopting this new mentality, employees don’t stop thinking about their personal needs—it’s just that they also think about the business’s needs. When employees look out for the company and ensure its success, their personal needs are taken care of as well.
This is a huge mindset shift individually and organizationally. Think about the difference in mindset between renting and owning the place where you live. When there is a threat, such as the potential for pipes freezing due to an incoming winter storm, your response will be different depending on your status. As an owner, you will do everything you can to prevent it because you are responsible for any damage that occurs. As a renter, you probably aren’t even thinking about the potential for damage because it’s the landlord’s problem if something breaks.
This example shows that when you own something, you naturally care more about it. It is human nature to take better care of the things you own because you are investing in them for the long term; the more you take care of them, the more you will benefit.
Ownership Thinking begins with the leadership and management team. The more the leadership and management teams think like an owner, the stronger the company will become. As managers grow in their understanding of the company and of business in general, they can be more effective, generate more value for the company, and position themselves to gain more responsibility.
The concepts from this article were taken from Strong Management Team: Leading with a shared vision and common language. Available through The ReWild Group and Amazon, the book explores this and other concepts in-depth while providing illustrations to help business leaders incorporate the ideas into their organizations. Get your copy today to start benefiting from a Strong Management Team in your company.