I serve as an executive coach for a number of terrific entrepreneurs. One of their struggles is how to create a culture of ownership and accountability in their business. They are good business people and they know where they should be investing their own time to create the maximum value. However, there are a lot of other things that need to get done in their business as well. By and large, they have good employees who will do what they are asked to do. These business owners, however, are hungry for more than that. They want to have employees who take ownership of their responsibilities so that the owners don't have to manage every aspect of the business. How should they go about doing this?

One key step is to make sure that they are investing time and resources in the right employees. Too often, we leaders spend too much of our time with the "problem children" rather than with the top performers. On a day-by-day basis this approach seems to make sense. Work needs to be done correctly, and the executives and managers of a business are the last line of defense between the company's reputation and the outside world. As a result, we have a few people that we trust to do a good job and we leave them alone to do their work. With everyone else, we hover and micromanage in an effort to make sure that things get done right.

Yet over the long run, it is your investment of time and resources in that smaller number of high-value employees that will pay off. The few always set the pace for the many. Anytime you are seeking to influence an organization's culture, you must first find and influence the pace setters. These are the people who, as a function of both their skills and their attitude, model for everyone else what top performance looks like. By first investing in these people, you create a core group of people whose behavior and performance will set the bar for everyone else.

Your opportunity to put these leaders on your side are limited if you spend all your time trying to fix the problems of average to poor performers in your company, Furthermore, if you are used to focusing on the average to poor performers, you will likely have to retool your own leadership and management approach. Pacesetters typically want a different kind of attention from you than do average and below-average performers. Sub-par performers need constant attention and resources.

In contrast, top performers are content to be left alone. They don't want you looking over their shoulder. If you are going to spend more time with them, they want that time to be devoted to making their working life easier and more effective. These people want you to help them get the resources and connections that they need to be successful. They want you to be a champion for them and their projects. If you are credible, they want you to be their coach and advisor.