I asked a group of business owners this question:
Should employees care about the business as much as the owner does?
Most said no.
Some said it’s not even possible.
Because they don’t own it.
But that’s a cop-out.
I don’t believe ownership is a prerequisite for caring.
I’ve seen people show up like it was their name on the front door.
And I’ve seen others mail it in—even when they had equity.
The real issue?
We’re blaming care on “ownership,” when it’s really about clarity, identity, value and meaning.
The Rarest Currency
Let me put it plainly: If the job you’re offering is generic—don’t be surprised when your team acts like it.
When something is rare, people will care.
That doesn’t mean flashy perks or some startup fantasy. It means giving someone a role, a responsibility, and a reason to show up that they can’t find anywhere else.
At my last company, I had a manager who cared deeply.
Why? Not because I gave her equity.
She cared because she loved her job. The role fit her gifts. She had real responsibility. She had a seat at the table.
She couldn’t imagine finding that same mix somewhere else.
That made it rare. That made it matter.
Four Moves To Shift from Compliance to Care
If you want employees who care—not just comply—start here:
1. Clarify What Matters
Most employees aren’t apathetic. They’re just foggy.
They want to make good decisions. But when the goals shift, the standards are vague, or the rules feel invisible—they default to what feels safe.
That doesn’t look like care. But it’s not sabotage. It’s survival.
Give them clear expectations. Show them what good looks like. Set the scoreboard.
Clarity isn’t micromanagement—it’s oxygen.
You don’t want to just clarify the expectations, you want to clarify the identity.
Your employees think differently than you do. Not wrong—just different.
Different beliefs. Different wiring. Different family stories.
So if you want alignment in behavior, you need alignment in identity.
At my last company, everything changed when we implemented real, behavior-based core values. Not posters. Not platitudes. But a way of saying, “Here’s how we do things here.”
That gave people a lens for decisions.
It turned judgment calls into culture calls.
It helped them act in ways I could support—even when I wasn’t in the room.
And that’s when you know your team’s leveling up.
2. Acknowledge What’s Working
I once left a thank-you card and a gift for the woman who cleans our office. She left a note saying no one had ever done that before. It meant the world to her.
She didn’t change overnight. She had already been doing great work.
But now? There was an emotional lift. A new kind of pride.
Employees don’t just want to be paid.
They want to be seen.
If you’ve got someone who took a risk, solved a problem, or nailed something they didn’t think they could do—don’t just say thanks. Tell them why it mattered. Connect it to who they are becoming.
That kind of acknowledgment builds an emotional bank account. And when that tank is full, you can have hard conversations without breaking trust.
3. Reward the Right Things
Raises wear off. Bonuses fade.
But a thoughtful, structured reward system can shift the entire tone of a business.
Here’s my take:
Tie rewards to three things:
- Company performance
- Quarterly team objectives
- Individual contribution
That way, everyone feels the win—and understands the why.
When people see the upside of caring, they stop asking, “What’s in it for me?” and start saying, “How can I help?”
4. Empower the Person
Share the big picture. Teach them how the business works. Ask how they’re doing—not just in tasks, but in energy, clarity, and capacity.
When people feel equipped, trusted, and respected, they carry more weight.
And they do it willingly.
What Owners Get Wrong
Let’s call out two lies that are killing team culture:
Lie #1: “Employees just won’t care.”
If you believe that, you’ve already lost. Care isn’t automatic—but it is something you can cultivate.
Lie #2: “Paying more will fix it.”
It might work for a week. Maybe a month. But if the work still feels hollow, disconnected, or chaotic… more money won’t matter.
Real loyalty is built on meaning, clarity, and shared success.
So let me ask you this:
Where are you blaming their apathy—when what you need is better clarity, identity, or alignment?
Because once your team sees the why, owns the how, and feels the win—
They start acting like owners.
As the owner, it’s a requirement for you to care, for your employees, it’s your responsibility to give them a reason to.