Ownership means taking responsibility for the results, not just your own efforts.
People that think they deserve a promotion because they worked hard have taken the wrong lesson from growth mindset teachings. Effort isn’t the point. Results are what businesses need and what company leaders are measured on.
I used to think this was unfair – why should I take responsibility for results that were out of my direct control? But results are how leaders are measured, so if you want to display leadership, you need to take that ownership of results.
With that ownership, you will have to figure out new ways to get results beyond your own efforts, from influence to politics to communication to the strategic use of power. These are the skills of an effective executive, who can make things happen with a 15 minute conversation by mobilizing a team of others to work on the most important priorities.
I learned this the hard way by burning myself out working 100 hour weeks for years and not even earning a promotion for that sacrifice of my mental and physical health. I was doing a lot, but I wasn’t creating impact because I was spending my effort on low priority tasks that didn’t drive business results. Once I learned to prioritize more effectively and focus my efforts on influence and business critical tasks, I was promoted as the Google Search Ads Chief of Staff, leading business strategy and operations for a $100+B business for six years.
P.S. If you want to learn these executive skills, check out my Maven class linked from my profile page – next cohort starts in May.