Book excerpt: It’s an insidious disease that is crippling companies, destroying our economy, and crushing potential. It’s infecting the very roots of business performance, and it’s spreading fast. It isn’t the recession, market volatility, scandal, or greed. It’s entitlement. And it may be killing your business. In myriad ways, entitlement has been cultivated for decades. As a result, too many employees today believe that they are entitled to a paycheck simply because they show up. Brad Hams has proven that we are not doomed to a path of entitlement and dependence. After more than 15 years working with hundreds of companies, he knows that the vast majority of employees addicted to entitlement actually want to engage, want to contribute, and feel much better about themselves when they are in an environment that requires them to do so. Now, with Ownership Thinking, Hams shares his strategy that will increase your company’s productivity, employee retention, and profitability: The Right Education: Teach employees the fundamentals of business and finance, how their company makes money, and how they add—or take away—value. The Right Measures: Identify the organization’s Key Performance Indicators and teach employees to forecast results in an environment of high visibility and accountability. The Right Incentives: Create incentive plans that are self-funding and clearly align employees’ behavior to the organization’s business and financial objectives. Your employees will learn to think and act like owners and will become active participants in the financial performance of the business. They will gain the self-esteem that is only possible through achievement and will reap rewards that are in alignment with the success of their organization. Meanwhile, you will enjoy your role more, sleep better at night, and leave a legacy that is far more inspiring and significant than you dreamed possible. Praise for Ownership Thinking “You would have to read a dozen other books to even come close to Ownership Thinking—a systematic and practical process for getting your employees to give that extra effort and brain power we know they possess.” —Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles; author, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits “Brad Hams tells it like it truly is: transparency creates trust; trust creates engagement; engagement creates a healthy enterprise. This thoughtful and practical book shows you how to achieve all of these things and more.” —Chip Conley, founder and executive chair, Joie de Vivre; author, Peak “Comprehensive and marvelously clear, Ownership Thinking’s techniques for creating change are focused, direct, and motivating. This is a wise book, unusually useful, and I recommend it most highly.” —Judith M. Bardwick, Ph.D., author, Danger in the Comfort Zone and The Psychological Recession “Brad Hams is one of the most persuasive and creative thinkers I know. His book is a specific guide you can (and should) implement now.” —Corey Rosen, founder, National Center for Employee Ownership “Hams is masterful at outlining the engagement practices that inspire people to care and to be deeply vested in business results.” —Jim Haudan, CEO, Root Learning; author, The Art of Engagement “Hams’ book is like a candid conversation with a wise friend. . . . A ‘must read’ for any business leader wanting to create a culture of ownership.” —Dean Schroeder, author, Ideas Are Free