LEADERSHIP

6 Myths About EmpoweringEmployeesby David Marquet

MAY 27, 2015

When Dr. Stephen R. Covey visited the

nuclear powered submarine I commanded,

the USS Santa Fe, he told me it was the most

empowering workplace hed ever seen. It

was a bit ironic for me, because Im sour on

the word empowerment and Im sour on

empowerment programs. To me, saying we

need an empowerment program is like saying

we need a swimming program. The

implication is that swimming isnt a natural

occurring behavior for our people. So, what

we are saying when we say we need an

empowerment program is that the

fundamental way we run our organization is

dis-empowering, or is it de-empowering?

The solution isnt a program. The solution

is to change the fundamental way your

organization is designed and managed so that people can exercise the natural power that

comes from being a human.

Based on my experience in turning the Santa Fe from the worst-performing ship in the

Navy to the best, here are the six biggest myths about empowerment:

Myth 1:The route toempowerment is a program.

You cant implement a bottom-up concept in a top-down way. This inherent self-

contradiction dooms it.

The first step always needs to be a commitment from the group that they want more

authority and more decision-making. Generally this follows a frank discussion. If the team

wants empowerment, you are off to the races. If not, you learned that youd be wasting

your time. Try again in six months.

Myth 2: You empower people.

People are already empowered. What you, as a leader do, is give them the voice and

authority to exercise the empowerment they naturally have.

Consider: If it takes the boss to empower them, the boss can unempower them, and thats

not very powerful. This isnt to say that leaders dont have an important role in letting

people exercise the natural power that they have. What leaders do is push decision-making

down the organization as far as possible so that the decision is made by those people who

are closest to the information. This is contrary to the standard habit of pushing information

to those who have the authority for making the decision.

Myth 3: Empowerment is enough.

Leaders must also ensure that their people have the requisite competence and clarityto

make successful decisions. This means an empowering organization spends more time

with technical training and clarity of purpose than one that relies on a top-down

compliance model. Empowered employees without sufficient technical competence and

organizational clarity cause chaos.

Myth 4: Your picture of empowerment matches your teams.

One of the problems with the word empowerment is that it is vague. Empowerment does

not inherently contain the ability to measure and affect it: two necessary components for

improving it. What do we say, Be somewhat more empowered than you used to be?

Thats like saying Get stronger and then going to the gym and never knowing how much

weight you are pushing.

Instead, use specific words to identify the level of empowerment you want, such as

explore options, recommend alternatives, or come up with a plan, or do what you

think is best.

Myth 5: During a crisis, its appropriate to revert to traditional top-down command and

control.

In fact, the more important and time-urgent the event, the bigger the relative performance

gain an empowered team will achieve. The reason most organizations revert to command

and control is because they have never seen a highly trained team operate in a crisis or a

particularly high-tempo, high-stress operation. While there does need to be coordination

and communication, if each member knows his or her job, the leader can still refrain from

issuing orders.The highest performing teams in the military perform in highly

decentralized, and empowered ways.

Myth 6: Blowing up your hierarchy will result in empowered people.

On the contrary, blowing up your hierarchy will result in confused people. The problem

with hierarchy is not the role definition that comes with it, the problem is that bosses use

hierarchy to tell those below them what to do. We believe that clear role definitions (with

people filling various roles that may change from time to time) allows the team to focus on

getting the job done rather than worrying about the uncertainly of the limits of their

authority or their responsibilities. This uncertainty will (certainly) reduce their ability to

solve highly cognitively demanding tasks.

Instead, use hierarchy in a way that places greater obligation on those higher up to take

care of their teams, and greater responsibility to ensure those below them have the tools

they need, in the form of technical competence and organizational clarity, to be successful

when making decisions.

Remember, in highly effective organizations there are leaders at every level, not just at the

top.

David Marquetimagines a workplace where everyone engages and contributes their full intellectualcapacity. A place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work a

place where everyone is a leader. Author of Fortunes Best Business Book, Turn the Ship Around!.

Related Topics: COACHING | DEVELOPING EMPLOYEES

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6 COMMENTS

Chetan Dhruve 2 days ago

I completely disagree with the statement, "People are already empowered." I think that Mr Marquet,through his (perhaps tacit) attitude, ensured that those below him in the hierarchy felt "alreadyempowered." I guarantee that had he behaved despotically, his subordinates would not have felt

REPLY 0 0

empowered.

The reality is that the system empowers. If you get lucky (a rare occurrence), the leader empowers you, asin Mr Marquet's case. What is natural behaviour for him is very, very unnatural behaviour for other'leaders'. The very fact that Dr Covey said Mr Marquet's submarine was the most empowered workplacehe'd seen, is an indication that feeling "already empowered" is not the normal state of affairs in the vastmajority of workplaces.

Chetan DhruveAuthor, Why Your Boss is Programmed to be a Dictator

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