It is difficult to understand what an owner’s mind is unless you are one. The simplest way to describe it is that, no matter how you act, all of the responsibility for your business is in your hands. That ultimately the success, mediocrity, or failure of your business is accountable to you.
Why bring this up? Isn’t it a given that this would be the case for the owner?
True, you are correct in the way the question was asked.
But what if you are not an owner, yet you are responsible for an entire organization, a department or your team? You are accountable for the success, mediocrity or failure that goes with your position?
What if you simply are the head of your home (mother or father)? What if we are talking about the direction of your own life?
An owner can never run or hide from their responsibility. They ultimately are accountable whether they choose to be or not. An owner can never excuse themselves or their behavior towards their responsibility.
An owner has to work much harder to achieve some success. They must feel the pain and stress (that they can never run from) when things go poorly. An owner has a mind that constantly thinks and worries about what should be done tomorrow. They have little time to reflect on what has passed.
Circumstances throw an owner into a crucible that demands some minimum level of performance to survive. Being responsible, accountable, hard working, always thinking and worrying about tomorrow is inherent in the position. An owner can never pick or choose what’s theirs for they can’t.
An owner has very few easy days and many more that present challenge. An owner can never run from any of this. It’s theirs whether they like it or not. Owners don’t give up. They don’t wait. They try something, And then something else until they see things begin to change. Owners are hopeful (even overly optimistic when times are bad) that in spite of all that has happened they will eventually succeed.
Now replace the word owner with I. I can never run or hide from my responsibility. I am accountable whether I chose to be or not for my life. I can never make excuses for myself. I must work hard to achieve some success. I accept the fact that I will feel pain and stress when things in my life go poorly.
You see, most people I meet, don’t have an owner’s mind. They easily make excuses for their choices. Some even when they are in positions that require them to be responsible for many.
People run from being accountable for their lives. They drift from day to day waiting for what will happen to them next. They find excuses in others or situations beyond their control that absolve them of the pour outcomes they achieve. When you don’t have an owner’s mind, I hear often the same phrase over and over that “it wasn’t me”.
Embracing an owner’s mind takes courage. Being an owner takes commitment and a persistence and level of endurance that tests what is deep inside.
Living your life, professionally and personally, with an owner’s mind (regardless of your position) can be a gift that keeps on giving. An owner’s mind will not give you easier days but rather challenge you to be more engaged, present, and thoughtful on how to make the most of your day.
You will find that with an owner’s mind you will have a better chance of more positive outcomes. You will be much more present and mindful of everything. You will take less for granted. An owner’s mind deeply understands that we are more responsible for our days than we believe.
An owner’s mind will keep you from running away from yourself and those around you giving you an extraordinary amount of hope to endure each day for a better tomorrow.