Taking Ownership When It’s Hard

“We tend to fall under the fallacy where you think that ‘because I am in the position of power, I have less to own’ when the reality is because you are in the position of power you usually have the most to own.”

Air Date

October 24, 2022

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If you are human, you probably have made mistakes. Making mistakes is just part of life and part of the process of learning new things, but that doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable. It’s difficult to take ownership when we mess up. And if we are in a leadership position or over someone else (like being a parent or a supervisor at work), it can be even more challenging to own how we have contributed to others’ mistakes. Today, we want to address what stops us from taking ownership, how to have a healthy relationship with shame, and how to know when we are taking too much ownership.

Key Takeaways

We need to stop associating ownership with the feeling that we are somehow flawed beyond repair.
Healthy shame leads us to humility. It causes us to recognize that we aren’t perfect and drives us to connect and repair the damage that has been done.
“True humility says I’m enough just as I am, and we all make mistakes. I’m not perfect, but I don’t have to be.”
Start by owning what is yours in the equation. If the other person does not take ownership of what is theirs, then the healthiest thing is for you to release it. Your health should not hinge on someone else taking ownership of their part.
Not everyone needs to take ownership at the same speed you do. Release it, and allow others to process and take ownership on their own time.
If ownership feels like a burden, then you are most likely owning things that are not yours.