If you look at the work environment globally right now, you’ve surely heard people say things like, “Why would I go the extra mile if this company isn’t even mine?” And they have a point. If employees don’t feel that the company’s growth is their growth, they won’t put their max into it. That’s where ownership comes in. Christine Simmons, entrepreneur, strategist, and self-described recovering C-suite executive, joins Melinda Lee to explain how leaders build an ownership mentality in people who never signed a cap table. In This Episode, You Will Learn: Ownership Is a Mentality Before It’s a Cap Table “There’s a mentality of equity before you get to the cap table.” Why people can think and act like owners without owning a share, and how the shift from checking off KPIs to understanding their impact changes the way someone shows up. Connect the Small Piece to the Big Picture Why leaders who are too busy to explain the “why” lose the buy-in they need, and how tying a single task, even a two-second edit in a video, to its effect on the team, the company, and the wider ecosystem turns a job into a contribution. Delivered Isn’t the Same as Received “Just because I delivered that message does not mean it was received.” Why a town hall announcement doesn’t create ownership, and how getting to know your people as whole humans lets you adapt the same message so it lands, like one song played in many genres. Ownership Looks Different in Every Person “Throw a piece of trash down in the middle of the room, and wait to see who picks it up.” How to tell project leaders from people leaders, and why building on people’s strengths, instead of forcing them into roles that don’t fit, wins more than fixing weaknesses. Lead So It Thrives Without You “You need to want it to thrive without you.” Why replacing “because I said so” with real dialogue, creating a safe space for feedback, and taking the ego out of the equation is what frees leaders to focus on the creative work only they can do. _____________________________________ A great person can still be a bad fit. Waiting to find that out is the most expensive way to learn it. Read our guide on how to hire the right people for a startup. _____________________________________ About the Guest: Christine Simmons is an entrepreneur, strategist, and former C-suite executive with 20+ years of experience leading transformational change across sports, media, and entertainment. She has served as COO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars) and President and COO of the Los Angeles Sparks, and held leadership roles at Magic Johnson Enterprises, Disney, and NBCUniversal. Today, she advises organizations through her consulting firm, Alis Volat Propriis, co-founded 360 Impact Collective to help top athletes turn their platforms into lasting impact, and teaches a course on social impact in sports and entertainment at the University of Miami’s Law School. Connect with Christine Simmons: IG @unapologetically_christine linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unapologeticallychristine/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/UnapologeticallyChristineNicole YouTube: @UnapologeticallyChristine Fun Facts: 🏍️ Grew up water skiing and dirt bike riding 🧬 Self-described genealogy nerd who has traced her family history back to 1840 👦 Proudest achievement: being mom to her son, Christian _____________________________________ About Melinda: Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results. She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence. Website: https://speakinflow.com/ Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! 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