 | Susan Dondlinger has a diversified background in post-secondary education, consulting, and training. Before joining Legasus Group, she was an internal consultant for a large aircraft company. Prior to that she spent 15 years on the faculty of Newman University in both teaching and management capacities and Chairman of the Business Department her last two years. Sue holds an MBA degree from Wichita State University in the field of finance and a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University. Sue is a family business consultant for the Legasus Group. She can be reached at sdondlinger@legasusGroup.com or by phone at 316.681.044 |
Business Consulting
2004-09-01 11:57:00
Sharing power with employees
: I've been hearing about how empowering employees creates motivated employees, which is something all managers want. This seems like a good idea, but why would I want to share my hard-earned power with my employees?
ANSWER: I love hearing about organizations that do extraordinary things. One thing all these organizations seem to have in common is motivated employees. Have you ever wondered how or why that happens? One reason it happens is because credible leaders know that when employees feel strong, capable and significant - they begin to do extraordinary things.Over the years, I have become fascinated with ways to help people give away their power. In the book The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner explore the archaic notion that power is a fixed sum - if I get more, you will have less. Naturally, people with this viewpoint are reluctant to share. I often give seminar participants a PowerBar to explore the fallacy of this concept. PowerBars are advertised as nutrition bars that provide you with the energy to be great, no matter what the challenge. Sound like a good concept? We explore the power concept by giving away the PowerBars. Are participants empty-handed or have they actually discovered other benefits greater than a PowerBar? If PowerBars were actually power you gave away, what might the benefits be to you? Then there is always the question about the people who receive the power? How are they affected and how do they respond? What is better about their work life?There are several easy and fun ways leaders can give away power and strengthen others. First of all, make sure you are not asking employees to seek unnecessary approval on projects. Don't have too many rules. Make it easy for employees at all levels of work to visit freely. Make sure the tasks you delegate are relevant, "quality-related" tasks - not routine and boring work you did not want to handle. It is not empowering to receive crummy work assignments. Strive to make every employee business literate. Share financial information with them and let them know how they affect company income and profit. Always make an effort to connect employees with important people - through personal introductions, meetings, lunches, and organizations. Introduce employees in ways that make them feel special and valuable. Become comfortable with making heroes of other people. Find ways to shine the spotlight of achievement on others. Publicize the work of your team members. In private conversations, refer to other employees' achievements. Tell people inside and outside the organization what power employees have and what they are accomplishing. In conclusion, if you give away enough power - you will soon be faced with a new problem. You will have free time! Use this time to lead. Do some long-term thinking, strategizing, even mentoring employees. What a great problem!
