The Empowered Manager

1. Empowerment is a choice, not a tool

Empowerment is not a set of techniques. It is a choice, not a tool.

Redefining empowerment. Empowerment is fundamentally about giving people control over their work. It's not about implementing specific techniques, but rather about making a conscious decision to shift responsibility and control to those doing the core work of the organization. This choice requires leaders to believe in self-management as a business strategy and continuously seek ways to give employees more freedom and autonomy.

Challenges of implementation. When leaders begin to introduce empowerment, they should expect mixed responses. Some employees may resist taking on more responsibility, preferring the safety of being told what to do. This ambivalence is natural, as claiming freedom and autonomy means sacrificing security. Leaders must persist in offering partnership and ownership, understanding that the transition can be difficult and demanding.

Long-term benefits. Despite initial resistance, empowerment ultimately leads to higher performance and greater employee satisfaction. Organizations that have successfully implemented employee involvement, self-management, and participative approaches have seen significant improvements in productivity and innovation. The key is for leaders to commit to this approach as a long-term strategy, consistently offering more autonomy and choice to employees over time.

2. The patriarchal contract perpetuates dependency

The patriarchal contract requires us to submit to authority, deny self-expression, and make sacrifices for unnamed future rewards.

Understanding the patriarchal contract. This implicit agreement between organizations and employees has four key elements:

• Submission to authority
• Denial of self-expression
• Sacrifice for future rewards
• Belief that these elements are just and necessary

Consequences of the contract. The patriarchal contract creates a culture of dependency and compliance. Employees learn to look to those above them for direction and approval, stifling initiative and creativity. This leads to a sense of helplessness and a reluctance to take responsibility for the organization's success.

Breaking the cycle. To create an empowered organization, leaders must consciously break this cycle by:

• Encouraging employees to be their own authority
• Valuing self-expression and emotional intelligence
• Focusing on present commitments rather than future sacrifices
• Questioning the necessity of strict hierarchical control

3. Create a vision of greatness for your unit

A vision is the preferred future, a desirable state, an ideal state. It is an expression of optimism despite the bureaucratic surrounding or the evidence to the contrary.

Power of vision. Creating a vision of greatness for your unit is a fundamental act of leadership. It forces you to take a stand for a preferred future and gives you something worth risking for. A compelling vision connects your deepest values to the workplace and becomes a word picture of how you want those values to be lived out in your unit.

Characteristics of a great vision:

• Strategic: Focused on customers/users and contributing to the organization's mission
• Lofty: Captures imagination and engages the spirit
• Personal: Expresses your own values and beliefs
• Radical and compelling: Takes a unique stand and demands action

Creating and communicating the vision. To develop and share your vision effectively:

1. Focus on your customers and how you want to serve them
2. Consider how you want people within your unit to treat each other
3. Use poetic language and metaphors to make it memorable
4. Paint a specific picture of what the future would look like
5. Communicate it with belief and conviction

4. Negotiate with allies and adversaries effectively

The task of the opponent is to bring out the best in us.

Understanding stakeholder positions. To influence others effectively, you must first understand where they stand in terms of agreement and trust. This can be visualized as a matrix with four quadrants:

• Allies: High agreement, high trust
• Opponents: Low agreement, high trust
• Bedfellows: High agreement, low trust
• Adversaries: Low agreement, low trust

Strategies for each group:

• Allies: Treat them as part of your organization, share vulnerabilities, and ask for advice
• Opponents: Value their perspective, engage in problem-solving, and use their challenge to improve your ideas
• Bedfellows: Reaffirm agreement, acknowledge caution, and work on building trust
• Adversaries: State your position clearly, understand their view, and let go of trying to convert them

Key negotiation skills. To negotiate effectively with all groups:

1. Exchange vision, purpose, or goals
2. Affirm or negotiate agreement
3. Affirm or negotiate trust

5. Balance autonomy and interdependence

Autonomy is the attitude that my actions are my own choices and the organization I am a part of is in many ways my own creation.

Embracing autonomy. Claiming autonomy means taking responsibility for your actions and the success of your unit. It involves acting as if you are creating the organization, even in the midst of bureaucracy. This mindset is key to being political in a positive way and avoiding manipulative behaviors.

Recognizing interdependence. While autonomy is crucial, it's equally important to acknowledge our interdependence with others. We need bosses, colleagues, and subordinates to achieve our goals. The challenge is to maintain a sense of individual strength while choosing to work collaboratively with others.

Finding balance. To balance autonomy and interdependence:

• Take responsibility for your own actions and decisions
• Recognize the legitimate needs you have from others (e.g., naming the game, confirmation, contact, temporary protection, learning)
• View your relationship with your boss as a partnership, with the boss acting more like a banker or board member
• Cultivate relationships with peers and subordinates based on mutual respect and shared goals

6. Recognize and transcend political scripts

These political scripts each and all have value. They only get in our way when we believe they are right and true, when they are used to control the world and avoid the reality that organizations are human systems first, last, and always.

Understanding political scripts. We all develop patterned ways of dealing with powerful people, often rooted in childhood experiences. Common scripts include:

• Rescue
• Look good
• Be pleasing
• Withdraw
• Rebel
• Be aggressive
• Be formal
• Be rational

Transcending scripts. The goal is not to eliminate these scripts, but to recognize them and use them consciously rather than as unconscious strategies for control. When we act out our scripts simply because that's what we do best, they become our strengths and expressions of our individuality.

Shifting to authentic behavior. To move beyond manipulative use of scripts:

1. Recognize your favorite scripts and their origins
2. Understand how you use them as influence strategies
3. Let go of the belief that these strategies are the only way to succeed
4. Focus on the quality and integrity of your work rather than seeking approval
5. Communicate wants and feelings directly rather than through indirect bargaining

7. Face organizational realities with courage

If our primary commitment is to contribute, be of service to our users, treat people well, and maintain our integrity, then we are doomed to a course of adventure, uncertainty, and risk.

Embracing courage. Realizing your vision of greatness often requires acts of courage. This doesn't mean aggressive or hostile behavior, but rather taking risks that serve your vision and the people around you. Courage is needed to face harsh realities, confront difficult issues, and maintain integrity in the face of pressure.

Nonsuicidal courageous acts:

1. Face the harsh reality: Look at your situation dispassionately, without rationalizations or excuses
2. Acknowledge your own contribution to problems: Take responsibility for your part in creating or maintaining difficulties
3. Communicate difficult truths: Share unpopular information or confront unproductive behaviors

Benefits of courageous action:

• Stops wasting energy on unproductive coping strategies
• Helps you feel more grounded and less "crazy"
• Strengthens your sense of self and autonomy
• Enhances your credibility and ability to influence others

By facing organizational realities with courage, you create the conditions for meaningful change and personal growth, even in challenging environments.

Last updated: September 20, 2024