Module Eleven: Ownership
Three Steps To End Regret
Regret has a way of lingering long after the moment has passed. But it doesn’t have to become a weight you carry forever. Regret can actually serve as a teacher… helping you grow wiser, closer, and more intentional in your relationships.
The first step is recognizing what happened, without minimizing it or exaggerating it. Honest self-awareness allows you to see clearly the words or actions that caused hurt. This isn’t about beating yourself up; it’s about gaining clarity about what occurred.
Next comes owning it. Ownership is different from shame. Shame says, “I am the problem.” Ownership says, “I made a mistake, and I’m willing to learn from it.” This takes humility and a willingness to take responsibility for what is yours. When we do that, healing begins. Trust can be restored. Connection can deepen.
Finally, give yourself permission to move forward. That may include taking appropriate action, offering an apology, and choosing not to replay the mistake over and over. Strong relationships are built through growth, not perfection. Learning from our mistakes—rather than living in regret—is the key.
When we shift from holding on to our mistakes to recognizing, owning, and moving forward, it will make a difference in our relationships.
Larry Little
Eagle Center for Leadership
Ownership sounds simple enough. How much can there really be to say about it? More than we might expect.
Research on ownership reaches far beyond legal possession or financial investment. Several well-known frameworks approach ownership from different angles. Psychological Ownership Theory examines why people come to see a responsibility or outcome as personally theirs. Stewardship Theory focuses on leaders who make decisions with the long-term interests of the organization in mind. Founder’s Mentality explores how growing organizations can preserve initiative and stay connected to the people closest to day-to-day operations. Shared Leadership explores how responsibility and influence can be shared across teams while keeping everyone aligned around the same goals.
Together, these perspectives demonstrate why ownership can’t be reduced to completing assigned tasks. Ownership affects how we approach our own responsibilities and how we help others take initiative. The concept is similar to, but distinct from, accountability. Accountability makes us answerable for an expectation or result, while ownership reflects the commitment we bring to it. Accountability can be assigned from the outside, but ownership has to be chosen.
“The basic principle which I believe has contributed more than any other to the building of our business as it is today, is the ownership of our company by the people employed in it.”
Foundation of Ownership focuses on the individual choices and habits that support ownership, including how ownership differs from accountability. Creating an Ownership Culture looks at how leaders create the conditions that help those they lead take ownership. Courageous Ownership explores what ownership asks of us when fear or uncertainty makes the next step harder. Let’s get started!
