Worksheet Exercise: Cultivating an Ownership Mindset in Vendors and Partners

This learning exercise is a companion How to Cultivate an Ownership Mindset in Vendors and Partners in the change leadership learning track.

Objective: To instill an ownership mindset in your vendors and partners by aligning them with your mission and demonstrating the impact of their role. The following worksheet gives you and your team exercises that articulate the mission of your company in ways that resonate with your vendors and partners, and increase their affinity with your mission and work.

Suggested Use:

• Do these individually to improve your own ability to cultivate an ownership mindset in vendors and partners.
• Pick one of these and do them with your team each week
• If you are holding a leadership workshop, break out into smaller groups and assign one exercise to each breakout group. After 10 minutes, have the groups come back and share their insights together.

Exercise 1: Understanding and Communicating Your Mission

1. Mission Statement Reflection
   • Write down your organization's mission statement.
   • Identify key terms or phrases that embody the essence of your mission.
2. Outcome Visualization
   • Detail the desired outcome of your mission. Be as specific as possible.
   • Describe how vendors and partners play a crucial role in achieving this outcome.
3. Impact Explanation
   • Explain how the relationship with your vendors or partners goes beyond transactional and becomes impactful.
   • Write down a few thoughts about the kind of positive impacts and outcomes you and your vendors or partners could achieve together.

Exercise 2: Humanizing Goals and Mission

1. Human Impact Storytelling
   • Share a story or example of how your work has positively impacted individuals or communities.
   • Reflect on the emotional and social implications of this impact. How did you and the team feel? What was the response from those who benefitted from your work?
2. Discussion Questions
   • How can your vendors and partners contribute to this same kind of human impact?
   • What are a few key words you can use to better communicate the human aspect and impact of your work to your vendors and partners?

Exercise 3: Demonstrating Care and Passion

1. Personal Reflection
   • Write down in your own words what you care about most in your work and why.
   • Reflect on how your passion aligns with the organization’s mission.
2. Caring is Contagious
   • List ways you have shown your care and passion in your work.
   • Plan specific actions to demonstrate this care in future interactions with vendors and partners.

Exercise 4: Consistency in Messaging and Modeling

1. Consistency Audit
   • Review your recent communications and actions. Are they consistent with your passion for the mission and customers?
   • Identify areas for improvement in demonstrating consistency.
2. Action Plan for Consistent Modeling
   • Create a weekly plan to consistently model your passion and dedication.
   • Include specific behaviors, communication strategies, and engagement techniques.

Exercise 5: Encouraging Purpose-Driven Partnerships

1. Opportunity Identification
   • List down opportunities where your vendors and partners can engage in purpose-driven activities.
   • Describe how these activities align with the larger mission and human impact.
2. Invitation to Collaborate
   • Draft a message to your vendors and partners, inviting them to participate in these purpose-driven opportunities.
   • Emphasize the positive impact and the sense of ownership they can gain.

Note: You can increase the value you gain from this worksheet if you regularly revisit and update your answers to the worksheet exercises. This will help you update your mindset as your mission evolves and as you gain new insights into your relationship with vendors and partners.