Thursday, May 17, 2012

Leader as Empowerer

"People under the influence of an empowering person are like paper in the hands of a talented artist" - John C.Maxwell

As a leader or professional, what do you do to empower others?

What do you do to provide space, as well as support, for others to do and achieve their goals?

Empowerment is a term that is often bandied around these days, with those empowering and team members who are supposed to feel empowered not always being on the same page. Empowerment without trust and respect may not be construed in the way it was intended.

In order for empowerment to really work it is important that people are given the tools and resources to do their work, as well as the authority and responsibility to make decisions.

As you consider empowering your team:
  • What barriers might they smack up against? 
  • What tools and resources do they need? 
  • Do they have the authority and responsibility to get things done? 
  • What additional support, feedback and resources might you need to provide for them?

When groups and teams have what they need in order to do their work, and the space to do the work, it's time to step aside and as a wise colleague of mine says "micro-monitor, not micro-manage".

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized - Leadership Development  | Teamwork | Staff Retreats
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

2 comments:

ashramyam said...

A leader has to be one of two things: he either has to be a brilliant visionary himself, a truly creative strategist, in which case he can do what he likes and get away with it; or else he has to be a true empowerer who can bring out the best in others.

Hussam said...

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