The Three C's of Empowerment

Hi folks, first post back after the break. I hope you all had a great holiday season and that the new year is treating you kindly (at least kinder than last year). I thought today that I would go back to a topic that I have covered before, because I think I left something important out when I covered it the first time. I have written before about empowerment and what conditions need to exist before people will accept that empowerment (here) . Empowerment isn't something you can just give to someone and expect it to work, they need to accept the responsibility and authority that they are given. If they don't accept it, they will be empowered on paper but will still turn to the hierarchy to make decisions for them.

I said before that there are two key things that need to exist in order for people to accept empowerment - clarity and competence. Clarity is the organisational clarity around why the decision needs to be made and what the operational constraints and limits are on the options that can be considered. Competence is the skills and other knowledge that someone needs in order to operate in that space. Without those two, no matter how much you tell people they are empowered to act, they will not do it. Unless they feel competent and have the right clarity, empowerment will not happen. All that still holds from when I originally wrote it, but I left something out. There is a third C - Care.

The leader trying to empower their people needs to show that they care. That they have the best interests of the people at heart. That they are being encouraged to take ownership and responsibility, not because of a management fad for decentralisation, or to improve profits, or to lean out the organisation by removing the traditional decision makers. They need to feel that this change is being done to make their lives better. To make their work easier. To help them get things done. To help them grow in their jobs and as people.

If people sense that this is being done for cynical reasons they will assume that, no matter how much lipstick it is wearing, what they are being offered is still a pig. No matter how much you dress it up in the right language, if your motives are suspect, it will be rejected.

Care, just like competence and clarity, is not something that can be achieved overnight. It's a journey. You can't just rock up one day and announce that you really care about people, that the hollow rhetoric you have been spouting for years about how people are our greatest asset (while downsizing constantly and making these who remain work insane hours so you can pocket your cost cutting bonus) is now a principle you hold dear. It doesn't work like that. People are too smart to fall for that.

The way you show you care is by actually caring. Treat people as if they are your greatest asset (because pro tip: they really are). Look after them. Offer them support and guidance. Help them grow their careers. Mentor them. Talk to them as people. You could even start referring to them as people rather than resources.

Not just once either. All the time. And not just when you want something. People know that teenager's trick of being really nice to your parents for a few days before asking whether you can go to that party. We have all been teenagers. We remember. Care must be genuine.

If you genuinely care and people can sense that, when you offer them responsibility and empowerment, they will take it (provided that as part of caring you have also done the other two C's). Even better, if you genuinely care (and as part of that have arranged the other two C's) you won't even need to give people empowerment, they will actively seek it out and take it.

If they sense that you really care and that their well-being really is your first concern, if there are other motives like profit, they will accept that -  "We are doing this for two reasons, first and most important is to help all of you grow and learn, second, the research has shown that giving decision making power to our front line will lead to a more efficient business".  Let's be honest here, there will always be a secondary motive around efficiency or profit at play. This stuff really does work to make organisations more effective and that will have a positive financial impact. Let's be open and up front about that. But make care the primary driver. Being open and honest is all part of caring.

There's another thing about caring - if you really, genuinely embrace it, it will turn you into a better leader. Not just in how empowered people feel, but in all aspects of your leadership. Embracing caring is probably one of the most powerful leadership moves you can make. And we will talk more about that next time.