Most employees come to work with one question in mind: “When do I get paid?” Business owners, on the other hand, ask, “How is the business performing?” That’s a fundamental difference in mindset, and it explains why employees often make decisions that prioritize short-term ease over long-term value.
As someone who owns several income properties and manages them directly, I’ve seen both sides of the equation. I respond quickly to tenant issues, not just out of courtesy, but because tenant churn is expensive. A move-out means deep cleaning, carpet replacements, repainting—and potentially losing one to two months of rent. That hits the bottom line hard.
Compare that to a recent experience my son had while renting at a large apartment complex with a full-time, on-site property manager. Despite being a reliable, long-term tenant, he was treated poorly during a routine request. Frustrated, he broke his lease early and moved out. The on-site manager didn’t own the building. She was simply drawing a paycheck. Her actions had a direct negative impact on the building’s revenue, but no consequence for her.
This isn’t uncommon. Employees tend to optimize for what they’re measured on. If they get paid regardless of how well the business does, there’s little motivation to care about the bigger picture. So, how do you get employees to think like owners?
Let’s explore a few key strategies.
1. Tie Compensation to Outcomes
If employees don’t share in the business’s success, they won’t care about losses either. Consider performance bonuses or profit-sharing programs. These aren’t just perks—they’re strategic levers. When people feel their work directly affects their paycheck, their behavior changes.
Some companies take it even further with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), where team members actually own a piece of the business. While not suitable for every business size, these plans align long-term incentives with long-term success.
2. Create a Culture of Accountability
Ownership is about more than money. It’s also about pride. Employees who take pride in their work feel emotionally invested in outcomes. That starts with leadership. If managers treat customer complaints like annoyances, so will their teams. But if leaders model proactive, customer-first behavior, the culture follows.
This echoes concepts from Daniel Pink’s book Drive, where he identifies autonomy, mastery, and purpose as key drivers of motivation. Creating an environment where employees have ownership over their work, are encouraged to grow, and understand their impact on the business cultivates an ownership mindset.
Many employees have no idea whether the company is profitable or bleeding cash. Share key performance indicators (KPIs) with your team regularly. Let them see how their department contributes to—or detracts from—the bottom line.
When people understand the scoreboard, they start playing to win. Even something as simple as showing the cost of customer churn or missed service calls can make employees more mindful of how their actions affect revenue.
4. Involve Employees in Decision-Making
Owners are decision-makers. Employees often aren’t. But when you ask your team for input on new processes, pricing models, or customer service strategies, they start thinking beyond their job description. They become collaborators in the business, not just cogs in the machine.
This doesn’t mean consensus decision-making is always the goal. Rather, you’re inviting ownership of the result. When people help shape the solution, they’re more invested in its success.
5. Hire for Mindset, Not Just Skill
Not every employee wants to think like an owner—and that’s okay. But if you want more of your team acting like they have skin in the game, prioritize candidates with a proactive, entrepreneurial mindset during the hiring process. Ask about past decisions they made that went beyond their formal role. Look for signs of initiative and responsibility.
As Gino Wickman notes in Traction, right people in the right seats means more than skills—it means cultural alignment with your business vision.
Final Thoughts
Your employees will never be owners in the legal sense unless you make them so—but that doesn’t mean you can’t shape how they think and act. The goal isn’t to create a team of mini-me CEOs. It’s to create a culture where people take responsibility, think long-term, and understand how their daily decisions impact the business as a whole.
Because when employees start thinking like owners, everyone wins—the customers, the team, and yes, the actual owners.
What systems could you implement this week to encourage just one employee to think more like an owner?
