The Fence Your Team Needs

A Guest Post from Jen Wasem, Founder of Jenerous Philanthropy

At the beginning of every new school year, my dad and I would sit at our well-loved kitchen table and talk about what needed to go inside the fence.

Kiddo, you have a lot more freedom living in Turkey than you would in the States, but we have to have ownership.

He would then draw a large square on a piece of paper and explain that inside the “fence” were the responsibilities I owned for the year ahead: curfew at midnight, all A’s and B’s, volunteering a few hours a week, and not sneaking out of the kitchen balcony. (I might have done that a time or ten.)

While this annual exercise might sound simple—even a little silly—it instilled a clear understanding of ownership. What was mine to own. What was not mine to own. And how to navigate the year ahead with clarity, mutual respect, and kindness.

At the end of the Thunder-Spurs playoff series, a reporter asked Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander how much input he planned to give Thunder GM Sam Presti regarding offseason roster decisions. Gilgeous-Alexander replied:

I will give zero input. I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job.

Ownership is about being responsible for your role. It’s also about allowing others to be fully responsible for theirs.

Shai didn’t have feedback for the reporter because he isn’t responsible for being the general manager. He’s responsible for being a point guard. (Rumor has it he also signs 400 autographs for fans before every single game!!)

Ownership creates clarity. It creates alignment. And it demonstrates enough respect to allow others to own their lane while you own yours.

In the nonprofit sector, we often see ownership become blurred because everyone wears “a lot of hats.” I understand why. There are usually more needs than staff, and flexibility is often required.

But some of the healthiest, highest-performing nonprofit teams I’ve worked with have had exceptionally clear ownership. Not because people refused to help outside their role, but because everyone understood who ultimately owned the outcome.

When ownership becomes unclear, confusion follows. Stall Decisions. Accountability disappears. Frustration grows.

When ownership is clear, people move faster. Trust increases. Teams collaborate more effectively because they know where their responsibility begins and ends.

The lesson my dad taught me at that kitchen table wasn’t really about curfews or grades.

It was about understanding what belongs inside my fence.

Years later, I’ve learned that great teams operate the same way.

The question isn’t whether you’re willing to help others.

The question is whether everyone knows what they’re responsible for owning.

A few questions to consider:

• Where might you be stepping into someone else’s lane?
• Are the people around you clear on what they own and what they don’t?
• If your team, family, or organization drew a fence today, would everyone agree on what belongs inside each person’s fence?
• Is someone stepping into your lane?

Ownership isn’t about control. It’s about clarity.

And clarity creates trust. And a nonprofit team that trusts one another is successful!!

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