The concept of ownership goes beyond just material possessions; it taps into a fundamental human psychological need to feel a sense of control and contribution. This principle is a cornerstone of “CEO Excellence,” highlighting that when individuals feel ownership over their work and outcomes, their engagement and commitment skyrocket.
People support what they help create.
The Lottery Ticket Experiment
Behavioral scientists once conducted an experiment that illustrates how ownership transforms commitment. Two groups of participants were created:
* Group A was handed a randomly assigned lottery ticket.
* Group B was given a blank ticket and told to choose their own number.
Before the drawing, researchers offered to buy back the tickets. Logically, every ticket had the same odds of winning — so both groups should have demanded about the same price. But the results were stunning.
Those who picked their own number demanded five times more money to sell their ticket than those who were simply handed one.
Nothing about the odds changed. What changed was ownership. By choosing their own number, people became emotionally invested. The ticket was now theirs.
This story, featured in CEO Excellence and discussed in the Harvard Business Review article “Increase Your Team’s Motivation Fivefold,” has become a leadership parable. When people create something, they don’t just participate — they commit.
The Psychology Behind Ownership
Two key behavioral concepts explain this phenomenon:
- The Endowment Effect
- Self-Determination Theory
Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler found that people assign higher value to things they perceive as theirs. Once ownership is established, we defend, protect, and elevate that object or idea.
Psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan discovered that autonomy, competence, and connection drive intrinsic motivation. When people feel empowered to shape their environment, their motivation soars.
The combination of ownership and autonomy is rocket fuel for engagement. The simple act of choosing transforms obligation into enthusiasm.
From Experiment to Leadership Practice
Too often, leaders overlook this lesson. They build strategies behind closed doors, finalize decisions, and announce them to their teams — expecting excitement and buy-in. But real commitment doesn’t come from being told what to do. It comes from helping decide what to do.
That’s the heart of Ingagement — the leadership philosophy I teach at Ingage Consulting. Ingagement isn’t about doing things to people; it’s about doing things with them. Engagement happens when people are invited to co-create their future, not when they’re asked to comply with someone else’s vision.
A Case Study: Revitalizing a Franchise Conference
Several years ago, a leading ice cream concept came to us with a challenge. Their annual national conference — a major event for franchisees — was struggling. Only about 15% of franchise owners were attending, and enthusiasm had evaporated. The corporate team had tried everything: new venues, guest speakers, even entertainment, but attendance refused to budge.
When they asked for our help, we didn’t start by planning a new agenda. We started by listening.
Our team at Ingage Consulting conducted a series of franchisee interviews and surveys, asking a simple question:
“What would a great conference look like to you?”
The answers were eye-opening. Franchisees didn’t want to be talked at — they wanted to be heard. They were eager to connect, share best practices, and collaborate with the corporate team on solving challenges that mattered to their businesses.
So, we completely reimagined the conference from the ground up. Instead of a top-down agenda filled with presentations and corporate messaging, we created a two-way experience built around listening, interaction, and shared problem-solving.
We designed:
* Roundtable discussions where franchisees could voice their ideas.
* Interactive sessions where corporate leaders listened to feedback in real time.
* Collaborative workshops that turned challenges into co-created solutions.
The result? Attendance skyrocketed from 15% to 85%.
But the numbers tell only part of the story. What really changed was the energy. Franchisees left the event feeling inspired, respected, and truly connected to the brand. The following year, participation in company initiatives surged. One leader told me afterward, “We stopped running a conference for our franchisees — we started running one with them.”
That’s Ingagement in action.
The CEO’s Role: From Dictator to Facilitator
This principle scales far beyond conferences. The best CEOs — as Dewar, Keller, and Malhotra highlight in CEO Excellence — don’t dictate. They facilitate.
They see their role not as the architect of every decision but as the curator of collective intelligence. They create environments where people can choose their “numbers” where teams shape the strategy rather than simply follow it.
Leadership today isn’t about having the best ideas. It’s about unlocking the best ideas in others.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
We’re living in an age of chronic disengagement. Gallup reports that only 23% of employees globally are engaged at work (Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report 2023). The rest are either detached or actively disengaged — costing the global economy $8.9 trillion a year in lost productivity (Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report 2023).
But here’s the hopeful part: when people participate in creating solutions, everything changes. McKinsey research shows that organizations that actively include employees in shaping strategy outperform their peers by over 30% in innovation and productivity (McKinsey Global Institute research on employee engagement and organizational performance).
People crave ownership. They want to matter. And when leaders create that opportunity, energy, creativity, and loyalty follow.
From Engagement to Ingagement
That’s why I use the term Ingagement — with an “I.” It’s a simple shift in spelling but a profound shift in mindset. Engagement happens when people are invited in — into the process, into the conversation, into ownership.
Ingagement transforms into commitment compliance. . . resistance into resilience . . . employees into entrepreneurs within the organization
When people feel that their ideas helped shape the plan, they don’t need motivation. They’re already invested.
Bringing It Home
So ask yourself:
* Are you giving your people tickets, or are you letting them choose their numbers?
* Are your strategies announcements, or invitations?
* Do your teams feel like spectators or co-creators of your success?
If you want lasting engagement, make it Ingagement — the difference between telling and involving, between compliance and ownership, between attending the conference and building it together.
Because the truth is timeless: people don’t fight for what you tell them — they fight for what they build.
About Evan Hackel
As an author, keynote speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur, Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, the author of the book Ingaging Leadership: The Ultimate Edition, and a thought leader in leadership and success.
Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting. Visit www.evanhackel.com