Why Empowering Employees Doesn't Work...and What REALLY Does

-

What popular leadership buzzword(s) comes to your mind?  

For me, it’s empowerment.

Empowerment defined is the power given to someone. This notion of giving away power sounds great. Who wouldn’t want it if they’re a leader? But here’s the problem with empowerment: you can lose it as quickly as it was given.


There was a myth that Nordstrom had a one page policy guide. On its one page it said, “Use good judgment at all times.” That sounds awesome! True empowerment. Here’s the reality. Nordstrom’s real policy guide is 7,344 words long. So much for empowerment.

So if empowerment isn’t the solution, what is? Ownership.

As a leader, I prefer ownership over empowerment. Why? Empowerment is conditional and on loan. Ownership is self-driven and comes from within.

Wait. Ownership? What about accountability? That's another leadership buzzword. Isn’t accountability the leadership way?

Let me answer it with an illustration:

Have you ever stayed at an Airbnb? Even if you haven’t, you know what it is. It’s a home rental for vacation. If you’ve stayed there, did you read over the rules and expectations? Of course you did. Did you take the trash out, if requested? Of course. Did you check out on time? Of course. Otherwise you’d pay an additional fee or another day’s stay. During your vacation, did you clean the unit? No. That’s not your job. Did you fix the toilet when it broke? No, it’s not your job and not your toilet.

Compare the Airbnb to your own home? Do you clean? I hope so. Of course you do. Do you fix the toilet? Of course. It’s yours. Do you update your home? Likely so. It’s yours. You own it.

Ownership trumps empowerment. Of course, you’ll still have empowerment. To have leaders, they must have influence.  They must have freedom to lead. 

Ownership trumps accountability. Of course, you still need accountability. What gets measured gets done. What gets rewarded gets repeated.

But for lasting results, you’ll want ownership in your leaders and staff. 

An ownership culture:
  • ·   Reminds the team they are essential to the organization and accomplishing its mission.
  • ·   Enforces their job description is the floor and not the ceiling.
  • ·   Energizes collaborative teamwork.
  • ·   Drives customer service to new levels.

Want a high performing team? Ownership is part of the answer.

How have you experienced empowerment vs ownership in your workplace? Did it work? Share your stories!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can Christians Be MEGA SURE of God's Existence? Part 1

-
Image
Why is there something rather than nothing? Have you ever considered this question? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why are we here? Why is the earth here? Why is the universe here? Why is there something rather than nothing. Every world view has to answer these questions. Not just the Christian. Not just the theist, but the pantheist, the polytheist, the agnostic, and the atheist. We all must try to determine why there is something rather than nothing. Once one gives an answer, they need to answer one more question: is my conclusion the most reasonable answer. Atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell who said that “The universe is just there, and that's all." In other words, it just exists. It always had. It’s a brute fact. Is this reasonable? As Christians we would say “God” is the answer. But is that the most reasonable answer. Some would say, it doesn’t matter. It’s a matter of faith. But I ask you, is such a blind faith badge of honor for us as Christians? The
Read more

How do we know Jesus' resurrection is legit?

-
Image
First, let me apologize for my tardiness! I recently was on a missions trip for two weeks and starting my final undergrad class. But I am glad to be blogging again! Today, I want to keep it brief. It is the Easter season. This is the time we remember the triumphant work of Jesus Christ. Christ took on Himself the sin of humanity. The sinless lamb was slain. But that is not where it ends. After three days in the grave He rose and exited the tomb. That is what I want to address today.  How do we know Jesus' resurrection is legit? An important starting point is that scholars, both Christian and non-Christian agree that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. "When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him . And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in
Read more

5 Reminders from Untimely Death

-
Image
“Crazy if it’s true.” That’s what I saw on my phone after my son’s basketball game. “What’s crazy if true?” I thought. I knew I had missed something. There were over 10 missed texts. So, what was “true?” The apparent death of Kobe Bryant. It would seem like Sunday would be day that many people won’t forget. Whenever a young, well respected, and famous person dies, the world reacts. And they should Death is a painful shock to our souls. But why do we react with such fervency? Because it's a reminder. In fact, I believe there are 5 reminders that come from untimely death. Death is inevitable. It doesn’t matter who are you, what you do, where you live, or when you live, we will all die. We may get face lifts to look younger. We can workout to tighten up bodies. We can eat vegan or as much meat as the world offers, we are all going to die. Period. We are powerless over death. This is what James reminds us of in James 1:9-11: “ Let the lowly brother boast in his exal
Read more