Peter has written a book that allows us to explore and reflect on how to recreate organisations that truly empower and create ownership at all levels. At the core of empowerment is our own beliefs and how these manifest themselves in every interaction.
Organisations have created dependency and this is a key blocker to the freedom we seek. If we wish to unleash the capability of all, we need to break down the self imposed mindsets that have locked us into the control and politics of the organisation.
Who should read The Empowered Manager
Anyone who wishes to see change in the way their organisation operates: senior leaders, managers and employees all have a part to play.
Top quotes from The Empowered Manager
“Look at each encounter as an opportunity to create the culture we want to inhabit….Cultures get changed in a thousand small ways, not by dramatic announcements or change management programs coming from the top.”
“It is the transformation of the culture of the room we are in that holds the possibility of transforming the culture of the rest of the organization. It is change from the inside out. The meeting I am a part of at this moment is a microcosm of the organization as a whole.”
“Trust is almost universally built or destroyed on the basis of issues of mutuality and integrity. Mutuality means that there is validity in others’ positions, even though they may be opposed to ours. Integrity means that we keep our promises and operate aboveboard. “
“empowerment may simply be a set of commitments we make to ourselves:
• We are the architects of our organizations, choosing their form and future. We are not just laborers, following another’ s plans.
• We set goals that are unique and that no one else has achieved before in the same way.
• We choose the path of high resistance and live with the anxiety that creates.
• We risk all we have. Not for the thrill of it, but because there is no safe path.
• We may be nothing more than a possibility. And that may be enough.
• We are interdependent and relational creatures.
We do nothing alone and there are others with the same vision who are waiting for us right around the corner.”
Top takeaways from The Empowered Manager
There are many, but here are the ideas that particularly standout for me…
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Many, if not most organisations have create a disempowering bureaucratic cycle based on a patriarchal contract, that drives myopic self interest, leading to manipulative tactics that cause dependency, rather than empowering entrepreneurial contracts that encourage enlightened self interest, empowering authentic ways of working that create autonomy and interdependence.
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The patriarchal cultures we have created force us into traps which we can escape: We should aim for possibilities rather than maintenance, employ more courage than caution and strive autonomy rather than dependency.
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Empowerment is a state of mind as well as a result of position, policies and practices. People at the top have are in the middle (they have shareholders etc), Change from the top down happens at the will and whim of those below and the power of a boss is asymmetrical.
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To feel empowered we need to recognise that our survival is in our hands, having a personal driving purpose supports our actions and we should commit ourselves to that action, recognising that we can’t do it alone and so we require the interdependence from our peers.
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To help build engagement and commitment, be relentless in focusing on it: Focus on what we want and don’t get sidetracked. encourage ownership in tasks and decisions, confront passive/non-assertive behaviour and embed a vision of greatness and possibility for ourselves and others.
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Don’t get sucked into manipulating: Say no when you mean it, share as much information as possible, use language that describes the reality and beware of repositioning so ideas get accepted –> Brutal truth should be heard.
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To create a more entrepreneurial organisation, we need to be able to describe what we are aiming for. A vision statement outlines our preferred future. Focus on what you offer the customer or each other, don’t make it practical as this restrains choices, start with the customer then consider own team. More important then the word is the process of creation and then driving momentum towards making it a reality.
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To create the future we have to work with those around us. Mapping out stakeholders against level of agreement and level of trust helps us segment and be more effective in our partnering:
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As we work with others we should follow this recipe: A) Exchange vision, purpose or goals B) Affirm or negotiate agreement C) Affirm or negotiate trust.
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We need to recognise that we have agency in terms of how we deal with organisational politics. Balancing autonomy, dependence, and interdependence begins with understanding what form our own political behavior takes (Eight scripts: Rescue, Look good, Be pleasing, Withdraw, Rebel, Be aggressive, Be formal, Be rational). Positive politics requires direct communication of wants, feelings, hopes, disappointments, and doubts.
Quick visual Notes for The Empowered Manager
Connected readings
Peter’s has written extensively on leadership within organisations. “Stewardship” would a good starting point. “The answer to how is yes” and “Flawless consulting” & “Community” provide additional techniques to create collaboration and partnership.
Connection to my work:
As a leadership coach, facilitator and executive educator the book resonates with me as it discusses how to rewire organisations through collaboration and empowerment. I run, in partnership with a global team from Peter’s company, Design Learning “Building Trusting Relationships” and “empowered at work”, which are based around this book, as well as “Flawless Consulting”.
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