One of the most common complaints I hear from software founders is this:
“My team just doesn’t take ownership.”
I’ve heard it from founders running 20-person companies.
I’ve heard it from founders running 200-person companies.
And almost every time, when we dig deeper, the problem isn’t what they think it is.
Hi, I’m Tabish Bibikar, and I coach and mentor founders of software companies to build scale in their business fast.
A few months ago, I was working with the founder of a growing software services company.
Good people.
Good clients.
Good delivery team.
But every week, he was frustrated.
His project managers weren’t taking ownership.
His delivery managers weren’t taking ownership.
His functional heads weren’t taking ownership.
That was his diagnosis.
But when we looked at how decisions were actually being made, we discovered something interesting.
Nobody was really allowed to own anything.
Every pricing exception came to him.
Every hiring decision came to him.
Every client escalation came to him.
Every important call came to him.
Think about what that teaches the organisation.
If I make a decision, I might get overruled.
If I escalate it, the founder will handle it.
So what’s the safer option?
Escalate.
Wait.
Ask.
And that’s exactly what people do.
This reminds me of something David Marquet talks about in Turn The Ship Around.
He says people don’t become leaders because you tell them to take ownership.
They become leaders when they are trusted to make decisions.
I’ve also seen this idea repeated by Ben Horowitz in The Hard Thing About Hard Things and by Jim Collins in Good to Great.
Strong companies are not built because leaders have all the answers.
They’re built because leaders create more leaders.
The practical shift is this.
Stop asking whether your team is taking ownership.
Start asking whether your organisation allows ownership.
Because ownership needs three things.
First, clear outcomes.
People need to know what result they are responsible for.
Second, decision authority.
They need to know what decisions they can make without asking you.
And third, accountability.
If they own the result, they must also own the consequences.
Miss any one of these and ownership disappears.
I’ve seen founders spend years looking for people with ownership.
When in reality, they needed to build an environment where ownership could exist.
If your team isn’t taking ownership today, don’t start by looking at the people.
Start by looking at the decisions.
Who currently owns them?
And more importantly, are you still holding on to them?
I’d love to hear your experience.
What’s one decision you know you should be handing over but still find yourself making today?
Send me a DM and tell me your story. I personally read and respond to every single one of them. And if we’re not connected yet, send me a connection request on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear what’s happening in your business.
