"I Wish My People Acted Like Me"

I hear some version of this from nearly every CEO I coach: "I just wish my people would act more like me." More ownership. More urgency. More initiative. More care.

I understand the frustration. But the wish itself is flawed. And holding onto it is quietly costing you.

Here's why.

They're Not the CEO

You hired your people for specific roles with specific responsibilities. You need them to excel in their seat, not yours. If your controller starts acting like the CEO, who's watching the numbers? If your head of sales starts acting like the CEO, who's closing the deals?

An organization where everyone acts like the CEO isn't a high-performing team. It's a room full of people all trying to drive the bus at the same time.

Let's Be Honest: You Might Be Unemployable

Many of us started businesses because we couldn't, or wouldn't, thrive inside someone else's rules. Higher risk tolerance. Restlessness with artificial ceilings. A stubborn streak that doesn't play well with bureaucracy.

Those are founder traits. They're not universal, and they're not supposed to be.

If everyone on your team had your risk tolerance and your resistance to authority, you wouldn't have a company. You'd have unmanageable chaos.

They Don't Have Your Upside — So They Won't Have Your Drive

You have a big investment in this business with hopes of a big payoff. They have a paycheck.

That doesn't mean they don't care. Their motivation is real, it's just different. They're driven by stability, purpose, mastery, belonging... did I mention stability?

Expecting founder-level intensity from people without founder-level stakes isn't just unrealistic. It's unfair.

Ask a Better Question

Stop asking "Why don't they act like me?" Start asking "Do they own their seat?"

Are they taking responsibility for the work in front of them? Are they finishing what they start? Are they getting better at their craft?

That's the standard. And if you coach them well, some of them will grow, and maybe one day they'll be ready for the next seat up. That's your real job as a leader: not wishing your people were different, but building them into who they can become.

The One Exception

Here's the caveat worth naming: someday, you will need someone who thinks and acts like you. Someone to sit in the CEO seat when you're ready to step back - whether that's next quarter or ten years from now as part of an ownership transition.

But even then, you only need one of them.

Not a whole company full.