A CULTURE OF OWNERSHIP

If your company were a ship in open water, would your team patch the holes or wait for someone else to act while the water pours in?

In high-performing companies, there are no bystanders. Everyone owns the mission. They speak up when something’s off. They act with urgency. They don’t walk past slow leaks — they either fix the problem or escalate it.

That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with you.

Ownership isn’t just about individuals stepping up. It’s about the agreements you set as the founder. How your team behaves in the face of friction reflects what you’ve modeled.

Read more in Succeed or Escalate: Great Companies Have No Bystanders.

You don’t need a team of superheroes. You need a crew that’s all in — one that understands that shared success depends on shared responsibility. Ask yourself: Is this the culture I’m creating?

PERSPECTIVES

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” — Winston Churchill

“In teamwork, silence isn't golden... it's deadly.” — Mark Sanborn

MARK MY WORDS

As the founder, your job isn’t just to define the vision — it’s to show what it looks like in action.

If you want a culture where people take ownership, you have to make it clear: In this company, no one stays on the sidelines. We fix what we can, and we escalate what we can’t.

I come back to the ship metaphor for a reason. On a ship, a leak doesn’t care if you’re in Sales or Ops. Water is coming in, so you don’t ignore it. You step in or speak up. That mindset is what keeps great companies on course.

But I’ve seen what happens (and maybe you have too) when a “not my job” attitude creeps in. People step over problems, assuming someone else will handle them. That’s how drift begins, not with one big decision but the moment someone looks the other way.

Fix it if you can. Escalate it if you can’t. That’s how great companies stay aligned and keep moving forward — even when things go sideways.

TUNE IN

When Brands Drift: Why Alignment Starts (and Ends) with You

As your company grows, clarity tends to fade, and your messaging slowly drifts from the mission. This conversation dives into how brand drift happens, what it reveals, and how founders can realign without losing what matters most.

You’ll learn:

• Why brand drift is a normal part of scaling
• What stays constant as your company evolves
• Why alignment is a leadership responsibility, not a marketing fix

[Watch Now]

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:

Some Days Just Suck

Let’s be honest — the hard days are part of the job. In this article, I reflect on a recent structural review at Ninety that left me emotionally spent but more committed than ever to doing this Work with clarity, humility, and high standards.

[Read Now]