Why ‘That’s Not My Job’ Is Killing Your Career

In the wild, a wolf pack thrives not because of the strength of its leader, but because each member takes responsibility for the survival of the group.

The scout ventures ahead to find prey, the sentry watches for danger, and the rest align to ensure the pack moves as one. This natural instinct to “own the mission” is what keeps the pack alive. In business, it’s no different.

A wolf pack thrives not because of the strength of its leader, but because each member takes responsibility for the survival of the group

Companies like Amazon succeed because they’ve embedded this principle of ownership into their culture—encouraging every individual, regardless of rank, to think not as employees but as stewards of the entire organization.

Ownership is the glue that turns individuals into teams and teams into movements.

My Story Behind Building Momentum from the Ground Up

Ownership is an attitude.

It is a relentless commitment to making something better.

It’s stepping into a situation, no matter how chaotic or uncertain, and saying, “This is mine to fix.”

When I joined one of Amazon’s core data teams in the summer of 2021, that’s exactly what I decided to do. The team, contributing to open source, was struggling for relevance in a sea of priorities. We were adrift, lacking direction and clarity. So, I took ownership.

The first step was asking the uncomfortable but necessary questions: Why does this team exist? What value do we provide?

Together, we crafted a team charter that defined our mission, tenets, and purpose—a compass for everything we’d do moving forward. Ownership, at its core, is about creating clarity where there is none.

With this foundation, we tackled the next challenge: operations. It wasn’t glamorous work. Defining release and support policies and streamlining workflows isn’t the stuff that makes headlines, but it’s what allowed us to move faster, innovate independently, and stay ahead. We stopped waiting for the rest of the organization to dictate our pace. Ownership means not just solving problems but anticipating them and building systems that eliminate them entirely.

Once the basics were in place, it was time to think bigger.

In sales, they call it lead generation; for us, it was socializing our purpose across Amazon. We didn’t wait for recognition—we earned it. We doubled our open-source contributions year-over-year and shared our innovations with anyone who would listen. Month by month, we built momentum. And as that momentum grew, so did the attention from executive leadership.

Suddenly, our team wasn’t just relevant—it was indispensable.

The projects we tackled were no longer minor contributions but groundbreaking solutions to problems a Distinguished Engineer once described as “unsolved for the last 40 years.” We didn’t achieve this by staying in our lane. I took on roles far outside my job description: program manager, product manager, technical evangelist, even a sales and marketing rep. Ownership isn’t about doing what’s expected; it’s about doing what’s needed.

This is the essence of Amazon’s ownership principle.

It’s not about perfection or even control—it’s about responsibility.

When leaders take ownership, they empower their teams to expand their scope and influence, not just within the organization but in the broader world. Ownership doesn’t just build better teams or better products. It builds momentum—and momentum changes everything.

Leaders are owners, they aren't told what to do

At Amazon, the idea that “leaders are owners, they aren’t told what to do” is a powerful declaration of autonomy and accountability.

Leaders are owners, they aren’t told what to do

It flips the traditional command-and-control model on its head, placing the responsibility for initiative squarely in the hands of individuals.

Ownership means that leaders don’t wait for direction; they assess the landscape, identify opportunities, and act decisively.

This mindset fosters a culture where every leader feels empowered to make decisions as if they owned the company themselves.

In practice, it’s what allows Amazon to scale innovation—because when leaders take responsibility without needing explicit instructions, they create a ripple effect of accountability and forward motion across teams.

It’s the difference between a stagnant organization waiting for top-down directives and a dynamic one that thrives on bottom-up innovation.

What does it mean for Amazon?

Amazon’s “Ownership” principle isn’t just corporate jargon—it’s a fundamental ethos that permeates the company’s operations. Leaders at Amazon are expected to act on behalf of the entire company, think long-term, and never say, “that’s not my job.” 

This mindset has tangible impacts. For instance, when Amazon decided to enter the cloud computing market, it wasn’t a direct extension of their retail business. However, employees took ownership of the initiative, leading to the creation of Amazon Web Services (AWS), which now contributes significantly to Amazon’s revenue.

Moreover, the “Ownership” principle fosters a culture where employees proactively address issues beyond their immediate responsibilities. This approach not only accelerates problem-solving but also drives innovation, as individuals feel empowered to implement solutions without waiting for directives.

However, this high level of ownership can have downsides. It may lead to burnout, as employees might overextend themselves trying to manage multiple responsibilities. Additionally, without clear boundaries, there’s potential for role confusion and inefficiencies.

In essence, Amazon’s emphasis on ownership cultivates a proactive and innovative workforce, but it’s crucial to balance this with support systems to mitigate potential drawbacks.

What Does Ownership Mean for Engineers and Individual Contributors

At Amazon, all employees, including people managers are LEADERS.

For engineers and individual contributors, ownership is about how they approach their work and the problems they solve.

It’s stepping beyond the boundaries of “what’s in my job description” and thinking, “What can I do to make this better?”

Let me share a story to illustrate.

Imagine a developer tasked with maintaining an internal tool that automates reporting. The tool works, but it’s slow and clunky, and no one loves using it. Instead of just patching bugs and moving on, they dig deeper.

They rewrite the codebase for efficiency, optimize the database queries, and even add a dashboard to make the tool more user-friendly.

Then they go a step further: they reach out to the teams using the tool, gathering feedback and iterating based on what they learn.

Months later, that once-overlooked tool becomes a critical part of the workflow, saving hours for dozens of teams. That’s ownership.

Here’s another example.

A junior engineer notices that their team’s deployments frequently fail due to inconsistent configurations.

While it’s not technically their responsibility, they take the initiative to automate configuration validation as part of the CI/CD pipeline.

The result?

Fewer failed deployments, less downtime, and more confidence across the team. Ownership here looks like fixing systemic issues, not just treating symptoms.

For individual contributors, ownership often means being proactive about identifying problems and opportunities.

It’s about not waiting for permission to improve things that matter. It means thinking like a stakeholder—anticipating needs, understanding the bigger picture, and delivering work that aligns with the organization’s goals.

Ownership doesn’t just make engineers better at their jobs; it amplifies their impact, turning small actions into long-lasting contributions.

Does it mean I do everything myself?

No. It does not.

Ownership is not micromanagement, martyrdom, or an excuse to hoard responsibilities.

It doesn’t mean doing everything yourself, refusing help, or burning out in the name of accountability.

True ownership is about driving outcomes, not controlling every input. It’s not about ignoring boundaries or taking on tasks outside your expertise to prove a point; it’s about ensuring those tasks are completed effectively, even if that means delegating or collaborating.

Ownership isn’t a license to override processes or act unilaterally—it thrives within a framework of trust, transparency, and teamwork.

Simply put, ownership is about responsibility, not ego. It’s not about saying, “I did it all,” but rather, “I ensured it got done, and done well.”

Before you leave

Ownership is a mindset that can transform teams, drive innovation, and create lasting impact.

Whether you’re an executive, a manager, or an individual contributor, adopting an ownership mentality empowers you to take control, think long-term, and deliver results that matter.

It’s about stepping up, not because someone asked you to, but because you see an opportunity to make things better.

Now it’s your turn.

Reflect on your work—are you approaching it as a task to complete, or as something you own? Start by identifying one area where you can take more responsibility, fix a recurring problem, or drive a meaningful change.

Share this post with your team and challenge them to do the same. Ownership isn’t just about what you do—it’s about the culture you create. Take action today, and watch how it inspires those around you.

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