How to empower people?

Empowering people, whether they are employees or volunteers, has more to do with who they are than what we permit them to do. 

The term empowerment implies a sense of 'I have the power/ability - you don't, and I am looking for some terms under which I am willing to bestow this power onto you'.  

In a healthier version it appears as a combination of permission and measurement.

Permitting the action and measuring the outcome for management.

In the traditional model, the possessor of the power strives for ongoing control yet concedes the need for extra help and must release enough permission to let someone else in, purely for the sake of output.

This path crushes the souls of the contributer and (with every control) reminds them that their exclusive value is in the productivity. 

That's not empowerment, that's slavery with a paycheck, and in the case of a volunteer even that reward is removed. There is no sustainability here.

Another more individually affirming and lasting approach to empowerment  would be to 'release from the inside out' instead of 'control from the outside in'.  

Empowerment that leads to lasting productivity can only come from people who are enthusiastic, skilled and have an internal desire for productivity in the area concerned.

This places the emphasis on the leaders to find the people with some passion and some skill first, before releasing the permission or empowering. That will allow the controls to be far less restrictive, and the space for creativity to open up, without stressing the leader. It engages the one being empowered and keeps them personally motivated, and relieves the Leader from enforcing punitive controls.

Empowerment is collaboration. So if partnering at some level is necessary, then do it with someone whose capability is established and whose skill & passion will relieve you of your controls. Keep the measurements though, thats good management.

How to get Phenomenal growth.

The Last 20%.

As a Swimming World record holder I spent many hours in the swimming pool and in the gym, doing workouts. The workouts are designed to tax the mind and the body to a new level of stress, damage or breakdown. Then (by design) the mind and body repair itself, having expanded its operational range, and are now stronger for it. The deeper you go in to the new territory of 'breakdown' - the stronger you become after the recovery has taken place.

But beware! 

Push too hard into the 'breakdown' area, and negative damage occurs. Physical damage that requires surgery or therapy to recover from or mental damage that can be even tougher to overcome, because in essence 'failure' occurred and a path out was not found at that instance of 'breakdown'.i.e you met your present limit and decided that because you weren't able to find a way out immediately, you had found the fixed end of your capacity.

This too is a lie and very correctable (just like physical therapy fixes body damage) in the hands of a skilled coach or mentor.

So why do we go so deep into 'breakdown' if those are the threats or potential damages, waiting for us there?

The answer is simple = EXPONENTIAL GROWTH!!

Greater and faster advancement in strength and capacity is developed in those areas of stressed 'breakdown' than any other place in life. At no time do we as humans grow any faster or stronger, physically or mentally, than when we are pushed to the edge of our current limits. Pushed close enough (usually requiring some external force, like a coach or mentor) to our limit to get all the benefits after recovery, but not so close that negative damage occurs.

So in swimming terms, if the workout we are scheduled to do, covers 5000 yards, then 4000 of those yards are just there to create the opportunity for the increase that comes from the last 20%. Without the first 4000 yards, the final 1000 are not near as beneficial. 

Why pay the price/effort of going through the first 4000 only to get out of the pool because the final 1000 are too hard? Such opportunity lost, but it happens every day.

 

The same is true in life, it can take months of 'breakdown' and difficulty to create the opportunity for increase that comes from the final 20%. But if you walk away at the life version 3950 yards, you forfeit the Exponential growth that was about to start 50 yards further down the road. 

Two questions then?

• What price are you willing to pay for exponential growth?
  
• Do you have a coach or a mentor to keep you from negative damage?

Where did the Affirmation go?

At first pass, people seem to make little distinction between praise and affirmation, often substituting the one word for the other.

In reality though, there is a measurable difference in the attitude and satisfaction of a person who is praised when compared with a person who is affirmed.

On the surface a Gala Apple and a Fuji Apple are somewhat similar too. They both have red coloring with some yellow areas, and vague striping. However, underneath the skin these two apples are considerably different.

Gala apples are softer and smaller than Fuji's, they are great for baking and eating, and have the thinnest skin of all apples along with a fairly short shelf life. Fuji's on the other hand are a spin-off from the American Red Delicious and have been the runaway favorite in Japan for many years. They have a far more crisp texture and and a thicker skin and they last much longer than Gala's - up to 5 months.

Such are the distinctions between praise and affirmation. They seem similar on the surface but are radically different beneath.

Praise is what we do to thank someone for a job well done. Singers get hand clapping, secretary's get "Thank you" and "Good Job". It is like taking a breath of Helium. When you try to speak, your voice sounds goofy and it is fun while it lasts, but it's over quickly and then life resumes.

Affirmation on the other hand, isn't just recognition for action, but is recognition for MY brand of action. It rewards me along with the job I did. It is like long chain carbohydrates, they are good for you and bring energy for a long time. It speaks to the core of WHO we are and pours value into that.

The indirect affect of only praising someone is that they begin to feel like, only what they do is worth recognition. Phrases like:"What have you done for me lately" come from that kind of aproach. In this camp, only action gets a reward, and this reward does not build trust or a sense of stability in the mind of the receiver.

By contrast, affirmation inherantly ties who they are, with what they do, and speaks value to the combination. Leaving the hearer feeling like they are personally valued, as well as what they contribute. This approach develops stronger people with a better sense of security, who are willing to give more because they know that they matter, not just what they do.

Seems like a subtle difference and just like the Apples, they are difficult to tell apart at first, but in the end one lasts a whole lot longer than the other.

To find out more about how to build recognition programs that build affirmation contact me at allan@leadingleaders.net