Empowerment is Bunk

Dana Theus, Principal,
Magus Consulting

How many years of Women’s Empowerment and Employee Empowerment have we lived through? How many of us have opted out in the brain drain, tired of waiting to be really empowered and seeking something more – autonomous?

This question captivated me when I started InPower Coaching last year. In my experience and the experience of the powerful leaders I know and work with, success is not derived from the external power we’re given, but from the power we bring out of ourselves to amplify it into real world results.

Imagine my excitement when I found this video by Daniel Pink, author of Drive (and other amazing books that will blow your mind if you haven’t read them), distinguishing empowerment from autonomy.

Empowerment is a sham

Daniel declares boldly that “empowerment is a sham” and “flexibility” is something employers allow to demonstrate that “we’re slightly less maniacally controlling than we were before.” He believes that both empowerment and flexibility reflect “a mistaken view of who has the power.” He believes employers should be thanking us for showing up at work every day!

Daniel is advocating that leaders work with the human urge for self-direction and that we manage our staffs with autonomy, which requires us all to develop our internal – inpowerment – resources more intentionally. As he explains, this gives the whole idea of work-life balance a new spin too, and makes the move towards “work-life blend” more productive and rational. (For more on work-life baloney, read my earlier thoughts).

InPowering Career Coaching Tips

We all have two ways of looking at any advice like this, as leaders and as employees (unless we’re entrepreneurs, in which case it’s good to think about new ways of motivating clients). So here’s how to approach adapting autonomy into your leadership skill set.

As leaders: How can you work with your employee’s desire for autonomy and still deliver results? Each staff member will be a little different so getting in tune with each of them is a good start, but the fundamental secret is to refine your skill at describing what success looks like so clearly that they can see it and want it themselves. Give them the opportunity to contribute to that vision of success and you’ve got them bought-in. Then set them free and let them know what resources (including your time and energy) they can call on and when you need their answer. Encourage their creativity, and be sure to follow up at the due date. Hold them accountable. Some people might find this uncomfortable, but your highest performers will find it exhilarating and the rest will grow from the discomfort. Test the waters and start with small things if this seems out of character for you or them.

As employees: I can see those of you working for a controlling boss rolling your eyes and thinking I’m dreaming. But my advice to you is the same as it is to everyone else – ask for autonomy. This ask doesn’t sound like, “boss, can I go off on my own for a few weeks? See ya!” at which time you’ll get a skeptical look. It sounds like, “Hey boss! What does success on this project look like for you? How will you know we’ve made it?” Get them talking and when you can see it very clearly, say, “I’ve got an idea! Let me run with it for a few hours/days/weeks. I’ll get back to you no later than (insert specific date/time here).” And then go do it and be sure to follow up on or before that date/time. If you demonstrate that you make good use of autonomy, you can earn more of it from anyone.

In either of these scenarios, you’re getting to a point where you can see success and sharing that intention with others who want that success too. Then you’re trusting yours – or others’ – abilities to make significant progress in a self-directed fashion. In setting your intention so clearly, specific to a date/time, and delivering on your promises of accountability, you are training yourself and others you work with – above, below or alongside you – to manage autonomously.

Start with tasks appropriate to the situation, experience and skill level of those doing the work, but start. And if you’re the one doing the work, once you have the feel of how to make the best use of autonomy and have built the trust with your boss, stretch yourself and see how much you can do! Whatever you do, don’t let a failure or setback convince you that autonomy is not a powerful management tool. Adjust, revise and repeat. This is how the world gets better.

Photo Credit: Kim Seng

 

Comments

[Jonena Relth]

Dana, I love this and am thrilled to have a name for it - Inpowerment!

One thing to add: You know you've been successful as a leader in developing inpowerment when you can go on vacation or take a leave and feel totally comfortable not being tethered to a phone/pc, etc.

Knowing that the solutions being brainstormed and created by your employees on their own or in their teams says your transparent leadership is working. This is not to say that they don't need you - they do, just not in a controlling way.

Let's hear it for INPOWERMENT

[DanaTheus]

Jonena

Thanks! Yes, there are many clues that you're taking an InPowering approach and not being the "hero" (which disempowers everyone else) is certainly one of them!

Dana