Employee vs. Owner

I recently was at my favorite bagel place that I frequent often. When I walked in, I noticed a man busy cleaning off the tables, adjusting the chairs, picking up little pieces of trash off the floor. He was humming at a volume that could be heard across the store. When I walked through the door, he looked up at me immediately, made eye contact, and said “welcome! How you doing?” He then dropped the rag he was holding, walked over to the cash register and took my order. I was pleasantly surprised by such an engaging human interaction at a bagel shop.

I later discovered that this happy-go-lucky man was the owner of the store. It made so much sense — this bagel shop wasn’t a job, it was his passion. His energy fills the place. Even when he is sweeping the floors, you can feel his care, his excellence, his personality filling the room.

The owner has done a great job hiring friendly people, but they treat the work very differently. They are there for the job. They have instructions to follow and they get a paycheck as a result. My interactions with the employees are transactional. I show up, I order my cheesy jalapeño bagel with cream cheese, they take my credit card, I get my bagel, and I leave. It’s very ordinary and predictable and the same… for everyone.

It wasn’t until I had this experience at the bagel shop that I realized how vastly different the perspective of the employee differs from that of the owner.

Employees see their work as a job. Owners see their work as a calling.

Employees follow instructions. Owners follow internal values and instincts.

Employees see customers as another facet of the job. Owners see customers as the lifeblood of the business.

Employees deflect making hard decisions. Owners are decisive — owning mistakes.

Employees seek work-life balance. Owners seek to share inspiration.

We can all agree, there is a clear distinction here. Which has led me to question — Is it possible for an employee to shift to the mindset of an owner?

I believe it is… but in many cases, it may require a shift in thinking for both the employee and the employer.

Is it a job? A career? A calling?

What would it look like if we chose to see each moment and activity, no matter how mundane or insignificant it may seem, as a small part of something much bigger?

One of my favorite parables is that of the brick-layers. It goes something like this:

Which of the three brick-layers do you think did the best work and experienced the most fulfillment? I am willing to bet it’s the third one.

Which of the three bricklayers are you?

There may be many things that are out of our control, but one thing that is always within our grasp is our perspective. A calling is not found — it is chosen. It happens when we connect our work with the things we value and believe in — this is the beginning of becoming an owner.

One shouldn’t expect an employee to be good with ambiguity when given a long list of instructions to follow step by step.

One shouldn’t expect an employee to stand in the gap and take responsibility when they do not feel trusted.

One should not expect an employee to go the extra mile if the instructions they follow reinforce the status quo.

But when an employee is trusted. Is given room to make decisions and granted the freedom to fail. Is seen and heard and recognized for their unique contribution, then I believe it is possible to have a culture of collective ownership.

Whether an employee or an employer, we all have an opportunity to make the work we do mean more.

For the bagel shop owner, his work is more than bagels, he is on a mission to put smiles on faces.

What mission are you on? What can you do to make your work mean more?

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