Deep Dive
The Ownership Mindset: Empowering Leaders in 2025
Kerry Siggins provides insights on how the ownership mindset is reshaping leadership in 2025. Drawing from her experience as CEO of StoneAge and author of The Ownership Mindset, she shares practical strategies for building a culture of accountability, engagement, and proactive leadership—starting with yourself.
It wasn’t the mistake that surprised me—it was the cover-up.
A team member had made a costly error and chose to hide it, not out of malice but out of fear. Fear of getting in trouble. Fear of disappointing the team. Fear of owning the truth.
That moment unsettled me. As the CEO of StoneAge, an employee-owned company, I believed we had built a culture of accountability. But this experience forced me to take a hard look in the mirror. If someone didn’t feel safe taking ownership of a mistake, had I really created the kind of culture I was so proud of?
That experience became the catalyst for writing The Ownership Mindset—a book born from the belief that the future of leadership lies in empowering people to lead from every seat at the table. At StoneAge, where I serve as CEO, we’ve navigated rapid growth, economic headwinds, and significant organizational change. What has kept us not only grounded but also accelerating is our relentless commitment to building an ownership mentality across the entire company. It’s more than a philosophy—it’s our strategic advantage. I’ve seen what happens when people stop thinking like employees and start thinking like owners: accountability rises, collaboration strengthens, and results speak for themselves.
In 2025, adopting an ownership mindset isn’t just a leadership strategy. It’s a competitive advantage.
What Is the Ownership Mindset?
An ownership mindset is about showing up every day with the intention to act like a business owner, whether you hold equity or not. It’s the belief that you are responsible for the success of the company, your team, and yourself. This goes beyond being accountable for your job—it’s about being emotionally invested in outcomes. You don’t wait for permission. You don’t blame. You own your results.
But I didn’t always live this way.
In my late twenties, I hit rock bottom. I was burned out, disconnected, using substances to cope, and stuck in a cycle of blame—pointing fingers at others, at circumstances, at anything but myself. It was only through deep introspection and a painful reckoning with my own choices that I began to understand the true power of personal responsibility. That experience fundamentally changed how I lead, how I live, and how I show up for others.
The ownership mindset is rooted in personal integrity, proactive problem-solving, and a profound understanding of how one’s actions impact the broader organization. And the truth is, it starts from within. You can’t lead others into ownership until you first lead yourself there.
Accountability vs. Responsibility: Know the Difference
One of the key shifts in developing an ownership mentality is understanding the difference between being responsible and being accountable. Most people use the terms interchangeably, but they’re not the same, and this misunderstanding can quietly erode performance and trust.
Responsibility is proactive. It’s about taking initiative, anticipating needs, and owning your role in moving things forward. Responsible people don’t wait to be told what to do. They step up because they care about the outcome.
Accountability, on the other hand, is retroactive. It’s about owning the result after the fact, especially when things don’t go as planned. It’s the willingness to say, “This was mine to own,” regardless of success or failure.
When both responsibility and accountability are present in a culture, that’s when the ownership mindset comes alive. People take initiative and own the results without blame, without excuses. And that’s where trust, cohesion, and performance thrive.
Why the Ownership Mindset Matters More Than Ever
Here’s what adopting this mindset does for your business:
1. Drives Performance Through Proactive Leadership
When people think like owners, they anticipate problems instead of reacting to them. They step up. They take initiative. This leads to faster decision-making, better innovation, and stronger execution.
2. Builds Trust and Team Cohesion
Ownership fosters transparency. When leaders and team members take responsibility for their actions and mistakes. It builds trust. Trust, in turn, strengthens team cohesion. And we all know that aligned, collaborative teams outperform siloed ones.
3. Enhances Employee Engagement
People want to matter. According to Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees are actively engaged at work. But that number soars when people feel like their contributions impact the whole. Giving employees ownership—of projects, decisions, and outcomes—creates a sense of purpose and engagement that no ping-pong table can match.
4. Accelerates Business Results
Ultimately, ownership equals results. When everyone is rowing in the same direction with a sense of urgency and ownership, business outcomes follow. At StoneAge, we’ve experienced year-over-year growth, high employee retention, and industry-leading innovation, all thanks to our culture of ownership.
5 Ways to Build an Ownership Mindset in 2025
Creating a culture rooted in ownership doesn’t happen overnight, but it does start with intention. If you want your organization to thrive in 2025, here’s how to embed the ownership mindset deep into your leadership style and company culture:
1. Model It Relentlessly
Leadership starts with you. The fastest way to kill an ownership culture is for leaders to say one thing and do another. If you want your team to take accountability, you must go first.
- Be honest about your missteps—and what you’ve learned from them.
- Share failures openly so your team knows it’s safe to be human.
- Demonstrate how you take action to make things right.
- Resist the urge to deflect or shift blame; take full responsibility, especially when it’s hard.
When leaders consistently demonstrate integrity, initiative, and responsibility, they create permission for others to do the same. Ownership is contagious—but so is avoidance. Choose wisely.
Pro Tip: Begin team meetings with short “ownership moments” where you reflect on a recent success or failure and what you learned from it.
2. Define Clear Outcomes, Not Just Tasks
A task list is not the same as ownership. Ownership comes from understanding and committing to outcomes—the “why” and “what success looks like,” not just the “how.”
- Shift from telling people what to do to helping them understand what needs to be achieved.
- Create clarity around metrics, priorities, and decision-making authority.
- Encourage autonomy and trust your team to find their own path to results.
Pro Tip: Ask, “What does success look like for this project?” and co-create it with your team members to build alignment and buy-in.
3. Reward Accountability, Not Just Performance
It’s easy to reward results. But if you want to foster an ownership mindset, you must also reward the behavior that drives those results—even when things don’t go perfectly.
- Acknowledge employees who take initiative, admit mistakes, and find solutions.
- Celebrate those who speak up about risks or share tough truths.
- Reinforce long-term thinking and team-based wins, not just individual heroics.
Pro Tip: Build a recognition system (formal or informal) that includes values like “acts like an owner” or “proactive problem solver.”
4. Build Business Acumen Across the Team
You can’t expect people to think like owners if they don’t understand how the business works. Ownership mentality requires context.
- Teach employees how your company makes money, what margins mean, and how decisions impact financial performance.
- Hold regular “state of the business” meetings to share wins, challenges, and strategy updates.
- Encourage curiosity and questions—transparency builds trust and engagement.
Pro Tip: Start a monthly all-hands meeting or town hall where employees can ask candid questions about the business. The more informed they are, the more invested they’ll become.
5. Create Psychological Safety
Ownership doesn’t thrive in fear-based environments. For people to take real ownership, they must feel safe to take risks, challenge ideas, and admit missteps without fear of shame or punishment.
- Build a culture of learning, not blaming.
- Encourage healthy debate and diverse perspectives.
- Show appreciation for vulnerability and courage.
Pro Tip: Normalize failure by sharing stories of missteps and what you learned from them in company-wide meetings. Your transparency will open the door for others to step into ownership without fear.
Final Thought: Leadership Begins with Self-Ownership
The truth is, you can’t cultivate an ownership mindset in others if you haven’t cultivated it in yourself. That’s the heart of the Ownership Mindset. It’s not just about leading a team—it’s about leading yourself first.
Ask yourself:
- Am I showing up like an owner today?
- Where am I blaming others instead of taking accountability?
- How can I help others take ownership without micromanaging?
In 2025, the leaders who will thrive aren’t just those with the biggest titles or the flashiest strategies. They’re the ones who embrace ownership, live it every day, and inspire others to do the same.
Your Move
If you’re ready to shift into a true business owner mindset, start with one conversation. Ask your team: “What would we do differently if we all acted like owners?”
And then—listen. You might be surprised by the clarity and commitment that follows.
Because ownership isn’t just a mindset. It’s a movement. And in 2025, it’s your greatest leadership asset.
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