How important are you to your organization? Do you approach work as an owner, a stakeholder? Do you stand out? Are you building an indispensable brand? Are you recognized as a significant contributor to the overall success of the department? Owners and stakeholders ask forward-thinking questions and then lean in to offer up solutions and play whatever role is necessary to achieve the results. Stand out contributors are self-motivated, self-directed and self-disciplined. If you want to stand out, it’s time to think and act like a stakeholder by asking important questions, accepting ownership and taking responsibility for achieving the desired outcomes.

Now is the time to be courageous, step outside of your comfort zone, work beyond your job description and dare to cross a functional boundary to add value and make a difference.

Below is an excerpt on what ownership looks like, from our book, BOOM, 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors off Business-As-Usual:

“There is always room for growth in making better choices and the quality of our choices is determined by the quality of the questions we ask. Ask the right questions to stand out and improve the quality of your contributions:

Instead of this, ‘Why hasn’t our CEO clearly communicated her vision?’ Ask this:
‘What can I do to help our CEO clarify the future direction of our organization?’

‘When is this company going to start investing in developing its people?’ becomes
‘What knowledge and skills do I need to make a greater contribution, and how will I acquire them?’

‘Why doesn’t IT build a system we can use?’ becomes
‘How can I define what user-friendly looks like in our unit, so IT has a better understanding?’

‘Why does ZYX department always have to protect its turf?’ becomes
‘What can I do to reach across functional boundaries and promote more collaboration?’

These questions allow you to focus on what YOU can control. They’ll allow you to stand out, improve your contributions and make a difference.”

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