In August 2021, I wrote: “Own a project, own a task, own a book, own yourself.” I was writing about taking responsibility, not collecting possessions. The piece ended with the part that still gives the idea a practical shape: own your words and be the person you say you are.
What does ownership look like?
A title or an intention is not enough to make responsibility clear. It helps to name the thing you will actually do. Here is an illustrative example, not an incident from my companies: “I will send the first draft on Thursday” is a commitment someone can understand. “I will take this seriously” leaves the work and the deadline undefined.
If the draft will be late, ownership includes communicating that and agreeing on the next step. You have something specific to repair, rather than an identity to defend.
Your identity and other people’s expectations
The original essay also described a tension between who you think you are and who other people expect you to be. I connected that tension with reliability: do my actions match the person I claim to be?
That is a question I can apply to my own commitments. It is not evidence that I control every circumstance, or that another person’s hardship is their fault.
The book behind the reference
I linked the idea to Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. The publisher describes a leadership book drawing lessons from their military experience. My article is a personal reflection, not a summary of all the book’s arguments.
To put the reflection to work, choose one outstanding promise. Write down the action, who is waiting for it and when you will follow up. Start there.
For an example from my own experience, read how I used a two-week learning follow-up when someone asked me for a job.
