Taking ownership, achieving success go hand-in-hand

In July, America will once again celebrate its birthday. And what makes our nation great are the same things — such as a strong sense of ownership — that make our city a terrific place to live and work.
America is great because we, as a people, can, together, solve problems thought to be unsolvable. We can create and innovate faster and better than any country on earth.
We care about each other. We care about our families, our communities and our future.
As citizens, we feel a tremendous sense of ownership in the outcomes that result from our decisions and efforts. We understand that with ownership comes responsibility.
We are highly motivated to give our very best, and we want to be held accountable, to ourselves and to others. We have a responsibility to balance the short term with the long term, both in terms of sacrifices and rewards.
We are excited about our individual and collective successes. We constantly strive to be better — to do something special.
This is not to suggest that we, as a nation, are perfect. We are not, and we have our challenges.
Our values and our undying commitment to excellence, however, make our nation and Central Ohio a wonderful place to call home. These characteristics also are consistently found in many successful businesses in Central Ohio.
Switching to employee owners
In March, Sophisticated Systems, an employee stock ownership plan company, experienced a proud, yet humbling moment, as our company made the final payment on our ESOP loan.
The decision to become an employee-owned firm was perhaps my best decision, and certainly the most impactful one, in our 25-year history.
Our team members have, for more than two decades, possessed much more than a casual interest in our success. They have served our clients and supported one another in a way that close family members often do. For example, the ESOP committee members have an average tenure in excess of 10 years.
Going all in
Whether or not your organization actually has employee ownership, the mentality associated with ownership and the engagement associated with being “all in” can create an awesome benefit.
A culture of ownership provides significant benefits to all constituents. It doesn’t just benefit your shareholders but also your clients, business partners, suppliers, etc.
It’s often said that culture trumps strategy. While both culture and strategy are critical, when a strong, value-based culture is present (and bought into) and a client-focused strategy is in place and executed, great things are bound to happen.

At SSI, we look forward, with tremendous excitement, to continuing to own the responsibility to serve our client and our community. And you should do everything you can to foster that same ownership at your company.

 
Dwight Smith is the CEO of Sophisticated Systems. Dwight serves on a number of boards including The Columbus Foundation, Junior Achievement, Tech Columbus and the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He also is a contributor to The Ross Leadership Institute.