Something that’s more and more expected of developers today is ownership. It’s almost become a buzzword for CVs and job listings, but for me, it’s way more than that. True ownership is one of the most vital parts of this job.
I consider myself lucky to now be in a company where ownership isn’t just encouraged—it’s built into the culture. You’re not just executing on some distant plan handed down from above. You’re part of an organism that only works if every piece does its job and cares enough to go the extra mile. Every project—big or small—is a piece of the larger whole. And the only way that whole works is if every contributor treats their feature like it’s their own app, not just another Jira ticket.
It’s crazy how much the little things add up. Every commit written with care pushes the entire product forward. That mindset can’t be imposed from management, it has to grow from the ground up, with developers who care.
For me, ownership means more than just coding well. It means making sure the feature you’re building is the best version it can be. That communication flows clearly between all stakeholders. That blockers get raised and solved, not hidden. That you empathize with the end user and your colleagues, and care about the success of the feature beyond just shipping it.
I’ve always leaned this way: it’s in my personality. But caring too much has its downsides. It’s stressful when you start obsessing over perfection, when you feel like anything less is failure. At my new job, where ownership is taken very seriously, I found myself coding on eggshells. Every PR felt like a test. Every meeting felt like I had to prove I belonged. The stress was eating away at me.
What I’ve started to understand, though, is that ownership doesn’t mean perfection. It means responsibility. It means empathy. It means being a committed part of the bigger picture—not being flawless at every turn.
That’s been a big shift in mindset for me. I don’t need to treat every contribution like it’s a do-or-die moment. Instead, I need to trust the process, trust the team, and focus on accountability. Ownership is about caring enough to get better, not fearing mistakes.
I’m still adjusting. I’m still learning new ways to interact, new processes, new perspectives. But I know I have the curiosity and drive to keep growing. And honestly? I like the trajectory. It’s not stress-free, but it’s the kind of stress that comes with stretching yourself, and that’s the whole point.
So: onwards and upwards.