Seed Autonomy
Leadership is not defined by the exercise of power but by the capacity to increase the sense of power among those led.
Motivation needs freedom of choice and an environment in which every opinion counts. Therefore, it is very closely related to the self-image of the leader and their behavior towards employees. If you are a leader, you cannot empower others without giving up some of your own authority. You have to exchange the old currency of power – privileges, decision rights and sanctions – for new coins – wisdom, generosity and mentorship.
- Give up some responsibility – this is another reason, besides short decision-making paths, why decisions should be made at as low a hierarchical level as is reasonable.
- Create an environment in which everyone seeks advice and influences each other.
- Encourage employees to voice their own interests, participate in joint problem-solving, negotiate, compromise and seek a common solution.
Gary Hamel, for example, describes very concrete ways to delegate authority and encourage autonomous action:
- set direction, e.g. ask your team to define their shared mission
- building skills, for example, asking team members to identify areas in which they would like to develop new skills – creative problem solving or any other field
- organizing work, for example, giving your team the authority to reassign work tasks
- Manage performance, for example, ask team members whether they believe they have the right performance targets. If not, ask them to suggest alternatives.
- Share information, for example, help front-line team members better understand the strategic measures and screens that business unit or corporate leaders use to assess organizational efficiency.
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