How to Manage an Employee Who Won't Take Ownership

Episode 45 of Manager Mondays tackles a classic leadership frustration: the employee who constantly asks for approval, waits for instructions, or passes the buck. Lucas and Luna use a specific case — a marketing coordinator who escalates every minor decision to her manager — to break down the difference between busy and accountable. Lucas introduces a concrete framework: the 'Three Options Rule' — never bring your manager a problem without offering at least three possible solutions. They walk through how to set the expectation, practice it in one-on-ones, and handle the pushback when an employee says 'I don't know' or 'what do you think?'. Luna challenges whether this works for junior employees vs. senior hires. Lucas shares a real story about a senior engineer who needed a reset on ownership after a re-org. The episode also covers the psychological safety angle — sometimes lack of ownership is really fear of being wrong. Practical scripts included. #ManagerMondays #PeopleManagement #TeamLeadership #FirstTimeManagers #Ownership #Accountability #Delegation #Empowerment #Micromanagement #ThreeOptionsRule #Coaching #CareerDevelopment #PsychologicalSafety #LeadershipSkills #WorkplaceCulture #Careers #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo