Corporate Leadership is no longer a luxury, but a necessary ingredient for survival in an intensely competitive corporate world. Alas, nothing lasts forever - people join, and then they leave most times without even submitting a formal letter of resignation. So, there is a need to continually produce more empowered people who can step up to the plate.

The previous generation stayed on in a company for twenty and thirty years, and they built their track record without the aid of someone else. The longer some people stayed in a company, the more secure they became, and both - the company and the employees were happy.

Today's employee is looking for just the opposite. A bogeymen that plagues the new world is that everyone is looking for aggressive growth, and they are willing to do what it takes to get that growth.

In the good old days, management was king. People managed people. Then in the 80's and 90's, Leadership took centre stage. People led others. Today, the focus is on empowerment. Here, people are empowered to do/go to the next level. The easiest way to do this is, is to energize one of the key motivators in any of us. The 8 important human desires as described in the book Super Motivation by Dean R Spitzer:

1. Activity 2. Ownership 3. Meaning 4. Power  5. Affiliation 6. Competence 7. Achievement 8. Recognition

The trick to empower is to make the other person appreciate/like you. Next is the phase where you get the other person to respect/emulate you.

Here are two definitions to motivate people...

The best way to teach, is by example. (The empowering person feels good).

The more we teach, the more we learn. (Empowered people should be given the opportunity to prove themselves).

The above two quotations amply demonstrate a key principle that is employed in any form of motivation. In order to compete at the global level, it is essential for leaders to function at the highest levels, and to grow the lower levels. The top C level (CEO, CFO, CSO) officers can no longer take a call on every small issue. Decisions have to be taken within a small window of time. One can no longer wait for the chief decision maker to review the file and give his considered opinion. The person on the spot has to take a decision and back it up with quick and decisive action. Delegation and mentoring of the people in the team ensures that they constantly improve.

One of the most important changes seen over the last decade is the need for more empowered leaders, who can take decisions and relieve the boss from handling mundane issues that could be addressed by someone, even one level lower.

Some possible reasons for empowerment:

From the Empowered person's view:

# People need to move up the corporate ladder - Yeh dil mange more!

# Empowered people tend to move faster up the corporate ladder

# Promotions increase satisfaction (and up the earnings and stature of the person).

# We are born to win, though we sometimes need help to grow. The empowerer will also feel good for his contribution.

From the Company's perspective:

# Corporate churn takes its toll from time to time - people are not so loyal anymore, and it pays to be prepared.

# Internal promotion is always appreciated by the people in the organization. By developing the hierarchy, anyone who moves up, clears a rung of the imaginary corporate ladder. Meanwhile, the employees, also realise that they have knowledge of a person who has made it   one level higher.

# The company positions itself as a person who cares for its colleagues, and for those who didn't do as well.

What is empowerment, and is it only applicable in the corporate world?

Empowerment is helping people to find the power to be/do what they want.

It is found mainly in the corporate world, but it could just as easily apply at home, or in the community. Change applies to the inner self, and is not a passing fancy. Since this occurs inside us, it affects every single role that we play. Looking at this from another point of view, it makes sense to see how real the reversal is. For example, if we could work the empowered self at home, then the same will become a reality in the office too. A good way to get familiar with empowerment, therefore, is to use some of the learning at home.

Who does the empowering?

... Anyone who has the ability to bring out what is required in another. Each of us can be an empowerer. If we fear competition, we will not empower others. By doing so, we only amplify our inadequacies, and we continue to be part of a group/team that will stagnate and get beaten.

On the other hand, a person who is a catalyst, can be a great empowerer. This person not only grows his team members so that they can individually benefit from him, but he also improves his environment (team) and thereby he now enjoys the comfort of a more empowered world. In reality, the person who empowers needs to have the ability to see the power, in the other person, and know how to bring out this talent.

Practical ways to empower people:

* Counselling - done with a positive bent of mind

* Coaching - where the coach pushes the coachee to a new level. Coaches could be for specific purposes. Eg. When a person is just promoted to manager, and does not yet know what is required of him. The new manager would do well to register for a few coaching sessions with a coach who is well known. Coaching is normally done for a fee.

* Mentoring - where the mentee is able to pick up the learning from the mentor and use it to grow. This is what managers use to help their team grow in the best possible way for the clients.

* Delegating - additional responsibility enables the person to reach a higher level of effectiveness and efficiency.

* Leading by example. The best way to teach is by example. Sometimes, it is wiser to show the way, than to order people to find the way forward. This improves their ability to lead a group.

* Parenting - the oldest form of empowerment occurs at home. Unfortunately, many of us do not realise that ... if only we could use some of the skills that we used to help our children to grow? Some attributes are : patience, understanding, doing only what is essentially required, and not doing everything.

What is the process for empowerment?

First, it depends on what the need is for the empowerment.

# Knowing the outcome is essential. Without knowing the desired outcome, it is practically impossible to have effective empowerment. How can one go on an expedition without a map, or without knowing what the treasure looks like?

# The empowering person should then see how best to proceed with the empowerment. Many roads lead to Rome.

# The empowered person must employ the newly acquired skills at the earliest. The old adage.... use it, otherwise you will lose it, indicates how important it is to practice what was learnt in theory.

# Many of us want to take part in group activities. However, it is also important to apply the learning in every single area of our lives. This makes the learning a habit, and slowly this could even turn into one of our core competencies.

All in all, the subject of Empowerment is not a fad or a hocus- pocus tool. It is a working tool that will help the empowerer, the empoweree, and the company. This three way win, is extremely effective.

Keep smiling... but don't forget to put on your empowering attitude. This one factor will set your life up in a totally different manner, and it will also help set up the lives of those around.

All the best,  

Ian Faria is a corporate trainer, coach and motivational speaker. Feedback at :  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Issue BG89 Aug 08

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