Empowerment

Empowerment

Yes, this is another one of those words that has been pretty thoroughly lampooned in the pages of Dilbert comics, however it truly is a powerful concept of leadership.

In Leading at a Higher Level, empowerment is defined as "The creation of an organizational climate that releases the knowledge, experience and motivation that resides in people."

This sounds good right? And it makes sense, because if you try to lead by just telling people exactly what to do what do you think they will do? Obviously they will only do exactly as they are told, because you have disempowered them, treated them as if they were merely an automaton (see Genius with a Thousand Helpers).

However, when you treat your team members to demonstrate self leadership you get something totally different. They own their part of the vision. In a school environment, they will ask "What do I want to learn?" instead of "What are they going to teach me?". In a work environment they will ask "What do I need to do to make my company successful?" instead of "What does my boss want me to do?"

Creating an empowered team is a one of the goals that every leader should aspire to, and Leading at a Higher Level gives 3 keys in order to do so.

1. Share Information with Everyone - How many of you have been on a team where the "leader" kept all of the information to himself/herself? This "leader" would then make all of the decisions without consulting the rest of the team, with the excuse that "You guys don't have all the information that I do, so you wouldn't understand," when these decisions were undoubtedly unpopular. What did having this type of leader to do team morale? It hurt morale.
   Exactly the converse is also true. Full disclosure of relevant information helps team members understand decisions, and possibly help determine the best options to choose. Furthermore, this feeling of ownership does wonders for morale.
   
2. Create autonomy through boundaries - What is the old saying... "Good fences to good neighbors make" Not exactly the same idea, but when you define what your team member's responsibilities are it helps prevent the awkward "I thought it was his job..." conversations after a mishap. These boundaries give people a sense of "This is mine, so I ought to take care of it". An important sidenote is that these boundaries are should NOT be exclusive. Just because something is not within your scope of responsibilities does not mean you cannot do it, and conversely it doesn't mean that someone else should not be allowed to help you with it.
   
3. Replace the old hierarchy with self directed individuals and teams - This one is more long term. But if you can build your organization to be flatter, with more people being on an "equal" rank, obviously we can sidestep the paralysis of only doing "What my boss tells me to do" or even worse having to deal with different layers of management having differing ideas of you you have to do.
   

Hopefully "empowerment" is no longer a dirty word, and as always comments or questions are requested and appreciated.

-Jason

Goals (II)

So we've talked about setting "SMART" goals in a previous post. And this is a very important concept, in order to set goals that you can and will actually achieve. However, another think to keep in mind is the why we set these goals.

What I'm getting at is somewhat related to my previous post You Can't "Motivate" Anyone and also an idea that I read about in Good to Great. In Good to Great, Jim Collins puts forth the idea that great organizations view their (current) products or services to be merely a vehicle for the growth and development of the organization. He goes on to describe how some companies have done the opposite, holding on to their traditional products, while their market fills with more efficient competitors and profit margins wither away.

They weren't remembering their mission. For example, Mickey Mouse cartoons used to be one of the big money makers for Disney, but how many of you have ever even seen a Mickey Mouse cartoon. I don't think I have. Instead, Disney has stuck to their mission to "Make people happy", and this can be achieved through all sorts of different avenues.

Now, I believe everyone should spend the time to write for themselves a personal mission statement (though this post would be for another time). Using your personal mission statement as a guide you will be able to answer the why of your own personal goal setting.
What I'm getting at, is that I look around, and I see many people are unhappy. Specifically many people are unhappy with what they do, their jobs.

I think much of the reason for this is that people have a similar notion that the failed organizations that were mentioned in Good to Great had. Like how those organizations feel that had to keep their traditional products, many people feel that they have to stay in a job because of their major, or because of they need the money, or just because "responsible people have 9-to-5 jobs".

Now, I'm not saying that you should run out and quit you job right away. But I think, first of all you need to start thinking of your job, or whatever your occupation, as a vehicle to promote you and your goals and also aligning with your personal mission statement.

You don't need to stay in a job "just because" it was your major field of study. There's a whole world of opportunities that you can take, and for the most part, it matters more that you are a fast learner, team player, and/or have strong people skills than if you had studied something in school.

You don't need to stay in a job "just because" you need the money. OK, lets face, it we all need some money to live. But I believe the reason for money is to allow us to live and pursue the our dreams. The reason for life definitely is not money. Furthermore, if you're spending all of your time minding the pennies, you'll probably let the dollars pass you by (bigger and better opportunities).

Lastly you don't need to stay in a jog "just because" thats what responsible people do. There are plenty of opportunities outside the normal 9-to-5 work world. As long as those opportunities align with your personal mission, you will be happier and more successful, following your dreams.

As always comments are requested and appreciated.

-Jason

Malcolm X

OK, I have to admit that I'm no expert on Malcolm X. But a few months ago I watched the movie Malcolm X and agree or disagree with his politics, you have to admit that Malcolm X was a great leader. Actually, after watching the movie I had something of a paradigm shift. In all of my history classes in school, Malcolm X was always mentioned merely as a radical counterpoint to the more "reasonable" Martin Luther King. This is beside the point, and I couldn't nearly give his legacy justice in just one blog article. So please visit The Official Web Site of Malcolm X for more information about the man.

Again, stripping aside all politics, we can learn much from Malcolm X's leadership.

First of all, he kept to a solid set of core values. He was a converted Muslim and stuck to a strict moral code. He had integrity. In the movie FBI agents monitoring Malcolm's hotel room made the off the cuff remark that he was like a monk compared to Martin Luther King (referencing King's extra-marital affairs vs. Malcolm's late nights spent reading).

He also had a significant purpose and clear picture of a future that he wanted. He turned ideas into a compelling vision that, combined with his personal charisma, attracted many people to his (and the Nation of Islam's) cause.

Malcolm X epitomized the servant leader. He surely was controversial in his ideas, but he worked first to educate his followers on why he felt his vision was the right one. He worked to give his followers what they needed (self knowledge, self respect, independence...) And he did this all without trying to line his pockets with the money of his followers, like other "leaders" in the Nation of Islam were.

It's just a shame that Malcolm's life was cut short, soon after he had changed his thoughts about racial integration. We will never know what his passion, integrity, and unyielding energy and commitment could have done for the benefit of race relations in America. We can only hope to take a small part of what we have learned from him and to use it to do our part to improve the world we live in.

Please, reserve comments on Malcolm X's politics for another forum, but all comments on leadership as always are welcome and appreciated.

Until Next Time,
-Jason