In the early years of Rolls-Royce, founder Frederick “Henry” Royce made engineers sign the parts they were responsible for.
“If any component proved faulty he made them correct the fault in their own, unpaid time – I paid you to make a working part, not a faulty part,” he would argue.
Henry’s approach isn’t necessarily feasible – or desirable – but the intent is interesting.
Because I know this is something a lot of business owners wrestle with: How do I get my staff to care as much as I do?
In short: You don’t.
And expecting them to is unrealistic.
No one will care about your business in quite the same way as the person whose name and livelihood is on the line.
But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t care at all.
So, Henry upped the stakes.
He didn’t own the outcome of a faulty part – they did.
Which begs the question: how are you ensuring your team owns the outcome?
Some ideas to get you started:
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Name the owner, not just the task. Everyone benefits from knowing who is responsible for what. When ownership is ambiguous, people become passive.
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Don’t demand accountability without autonomy. People need the space and authority to do things their way. If you meddle, you muddle.
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Show how it fits. Like a jigsaw, make sure people understand how their contribution adds to the whole. Interdependence encourages care because no one wants to let their teammates down.
Your team may never care as much as you do, but with the right conditions, they can care enough.
P.S. A reminder to Just Do This members…👋
Our open office hour is TOMORROW, 12th February 11.30am-12.30pm Melbourne time. Drop by and ask me questions about your business.
You’ll find the link to join in the New This Month section here.
Ref: Henry Royce quote from Nomad Investment Partnership Letters by Nicholas Sleep
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