Kevin Paul Scott has a fantastic description of the idea of “stewardship” versus that of “ownership”. In his book “Return on Inspiration“, he says:
“Stewards take care of things for other people; owners look out for their own interests. When we look at companies through this lens, we see that some owners act more like stewards because they use their resources for the benefit of their employees and customers. Everything we are and everything we have comes from the hand of God. He has entrusted goods, people, and opportunities to us. When we have that perspective, we treat employees, customers, and vendors with respect.”
Are you taking care of things for other people, or just looking out for your own interests? I’d argue that the best way to look out for your own interests is to take care of things for other people, so it should be an easy decision.
It’s similar to the idea of training people well enough so they can leave. You’re giving up some “ownership” by giving your employees more power, but it’s likely to be of benefit to everyone in the long run.
I’ve found that in most areas of life “ownership” will improve your short-term gains, but “stewardship” will lead to wildly better results down the road.
