Empowerment — leading outside the lines
Tammy, an administrative assistant, works for a firm where “empowerment is the latest buzzword.” She’s wondering just what empowerment is and how an administrative assistant can be empowered.
Empowerment is leadership without formal, organization-chart authority. Empowered people lead outside the org-chart lines by owning their jobs. They don’t just do what needs to be done. They think about how they and their co-workers do their jobs and how all can work smarter. When it comes to solving problems, they do their homework and make recommendations backed by implementation plans.
Empowered workers also accept responsibility and accountability for their actions. They make things happen, rather than
Jim Pawlak let things happen. They are winners, not whiners. They walk the talk. They don’t think of their job as a job. They think of their job as their business. As CEO of Me, Inc., they want to make sure it succeeds.
When you write that empowerment is the latest buzzword and then wonder what it is and what you can do to empower yourself, it’s apparent that your firm’s management hasn’t done what’s required to set the stage for a proactive workforce. Too many employers simply tell the employees to be empowered. That doesn’t work. The employer has to walk the talk, too. The culture of an empowered organization focuses on questioning how and why things are done, constantly refining best practices and taking risks. Their motto is: “Change is necessary – and good.”
Such organizations recruit for attitude and train for skill. They know that empowered people don’t grow on trees. They grow like trees. Attitude is the root system. Core competencies are the trunk. Specific skills are the branches. Companies developing an empowered workforce coach, train and nurture their team. And they keep on coaching and training.
Empowered employers also accept the fact that mistakes will be made. No one ever gets it right the first time. Many won’t get it right the second or third. Mistakes are treated as learning experiences. Sure it costs money when mistakes are made, but, in the long run, an empowered workforce will make far more money for the employers.
If you want to show your employer that you’re interested in empowerment, locate some training firms that specialize in team-building, decision-making and conflict resolution. Talk to them about what their seminars can do for a firm. Ask for seminar outlines. Check out their references. Present a training package to management complete with the seminar outlines, prices and testimonials. Even if management has something else in mind, you’ll have demonstrated your willingness to make empowerment more than a buzzword.
If management rejects your proposal with a “we don’t have the time or money” statement, you’ll know it’s not serious about empowerment. If this happens, you have to answer a question about yourself and make some decisions. Do you continue to work for the firm that won’t do what’s necessary to help you grow and achieve? If you answer yes, then you’re exactly the type of worker that they want. One who only wants to do her/his job and nothing more. One who knows that the empowerment fad will fade and your day will once again return to its ho-hum humdrum.
If you answer no, then you have to do some job-change planning. That doesn’t mean giving your notice. It means thinking about what you really want to achieve as an individual. Empower yourself by building your résumé for your next opportunity. If you don’t, you’ll be thinking “woulda, coulda, shoulda” down the road.
How do you empower yourself? Start by making things happen. Get your job done and then volunteer for assignments. Offer to help others and share what you know; doing so shows you’re a team player. You’ll be noticed by management and your peers. You’ll create a personal brand that says you’re the go-to person. You’re positioning yourself for opportunity.
Too many employers simply tell the employees to be empowered. That doesn’t work. The employer has to walk the talk, too. The culture of an empowered organization focuses on refining best practices and taking risks.