Change starts with taking ownership

I recently had a workshop on take ownership at work. The content was roughly that no matter what position or level you are in, you can try to take charge of the process and change from a role waiting for the boss to give orders to a role that is more proactive in handling work. . It reminds me of what Hao Nai wrote before, reflecting on He Guilan's notes from prison: "You know what you can do, but you can't wait for someone to tell you what you can do."

What is take ownership? Many times when we encounter unclear or difficult areas in our work, we throw the wave back to the top and wait for relief. But we can all use another approach. We don’t need to be blank and wait for someone to wake us up. Instead, we can propose some feasible methods, what can be done next, and then seek the approval of other stakeholders. Due to the work culture of Chinese society, doing so may be risky and may not be suitable for everyone's workplace.

But in fact, take ownership can be applied to daily life. Even for those of us who have been subjected to domestication and enslavement education for a long time, it may be a mode of thinking and action that must be cultivated. For example, you should take ownership of your own money and invest it in a place that is consistent with your values, rather than washing it randomly or leaving it to mold in the bank; you should take ownership of your personal development and spend time cultivating yourself instead of stagnating. Corresponding to He Guilan's article, I no longer wait for others to teach or tell me what to do, but to observe, analyze and reflect on what can be done in daily life. Thinking back on this article made me reflect a lot on my social participation and actions in the past year.

During this year of diving on Matters, I kept burning my time and money to help people. It's not because I'm particularly capable or great, but because I feel like I haven't done enough. Of course, this "survivor's guilt" is another issue I have to deal with, so I won't go into it here. However, no matter whether the leader's words are friendly or rude, I know very well that I am just a tool and a means, and I don't mind being a tool when I don't have clear personal opinions.

But during this process, I slowly began to discover that the direction or agenda set by others was not necessarily what I wanted to follow. It turned out that people thought that I/anyone could help, and the strengths or agendas I had. Experience may not match. My friends also reminded me that there is actually enough work to do, not many people are willing to put in so much effort, and everyone has limited time, so they must make choices. During this process, I refined my ideas step by step and began to think of what I really wanted to do but could do.

The biggest reflection is, do we have to wait for others to come up with certain ideas, follow certain organizations, and then participate in the form of assistance? This is more flexible and the responsibilities are easier, but is it really doing what you want to do? When those ideas, personnel and things are not in line with your own ideas, what can you do? When the environment or soil is immature, instead of waiting for like-minded people, is it more necessary to become a leader first and inspire others to act together?

When I thought about this, I discovered that I had come across or heard about some projects that relied on the efforts of one or two people, or even had no relevant experience or connections at all. They just wanted to do something for Hong Kong, so they launched different projects. Generous people. Although the capabilities and resources are limited and the finished product may not be satisfactory, it makes me realize that it turns out that one or two people can accomplish a lot, and it turns out that it does not necessarily have to be done by a group of people. When I changed my mindset, I discovered that there were many things that I could do. I didn’t need to wait for someone to ask me to help, or for the soil to mature. As long as I was willing to try, I would slowly gather like-minded people.

Next time I publish an article, I hope I can share more experiences with you. I also hope this article can encourage fellow travelers to stick to their beliefs, forge ahead, and continue to try and persevere for their own lives and Hong Kong!