Effective Leadership:
Power Shift
By Timothy I. Thomas
Power is a commodity. There is a
limited amount of it to go around. Therefore, I must
clutch my power to my chest and never let a shred of
it out of my grasp.
Power is organic. Like life itself,
it is limitless. Therefore, when I share power with others
I lose nothing, and they gain everything.
These two very different viewpoints are not simply philosophy.
They are often at the core of whether a business ultimately
succeeds or fails. The fact is, leadership doesn’t
happen in a vacuum. True leaders recognize that success
in business is never the result of one man or woman’s
efforts or exclusive direction: that is the dictator principle.
Instead, success is dependent upon the leader surrounding
himself or herself with strong and capable followers.
Consider this example.* An innovative entrepreneur founded
and served as president of an engineering firm. He was
brilliant in his field, and well-respected and well-liked
by all his employees. The firm grew to be a recognized
industry leader. Nevertheless, the firm was actually on
rocky ground. Morale was deplorably low. Frustration levels
were high, and continued to mount. Critical decisions slipped
through the cracks, resulting in lost opportunities and
decreased revenue.
Why? Because the president presided over the company in
the role of benevolent dictator. He had sole decision-making
authority in every area – human resources, operations,
financials, strategy, etc. The managers under him, although
they liked and respected him as a person, were self-destructing
under his leadership style – as was the company itself.
Their hands were tied. They had no authority. Their expertise
and knowledge was not called upon. Helpless to take action,
they finally ceased to try.
After a number of years, the president of the firm moved
on. His position was filled by a woman with a very different
philosophy. She believed that success was a team effort.
She recognized that without 100% commitment, input, and
effort from her management staff, the company would eventual
implode. That commitment, input, and effort would only
happen when power was restored to her disempowered employees.
She met with each manager and shared her ideals, her philosophy,
and her vision for the company. This was vitally important,
for it was the first step to establishing trust.
Then, as issues, opportunities, and challenges arose,
she gave her staff her full support in making business-critical
decisions. She encouraged discussion without imposing her
own viewpoint. She facilitated interaction by bringing
key people together. She disseminated information and guaranteed
equal access to crucial data. And when a decision had been
reached, she supported it completely.
The effect was like exploding a keg of dynamite … an
appropriate analogy, since she had released
power to her employees – and the Greek word
for “power” is dunamis,
from which we get our word “dynamite.”
By engaging her leadership team in the hope of turning
them into a team of all-stars, she freed up time, energy,
and creativity across the entire company. Morale skyrocketed.
Employees had a sense of ownership, both in relation to
their jobs and with regard to the direction of the company
as a whole. The company, then in its twentieth year, experienced
record-breaking sales for three
consecutive quarters.
This is more than an inspiring story – it is a step-by-step
recipe for success, with the key ingredient being a power
shift.
*Details have been changed to protect the privacy of the
company and individuals mentioned.
© 2008 Timothy I. Thomas
Article Source: http://www.makariosconsulting.com
About the Author
Timothy I. Thomas is the President and CEO of Makarios
Consulting, LLC, a leadership development and business
consulting firm. Makarios Consulting specializes in interactive
training and one-on-one coaching in progressive organizations
in order to equip and empower their leaders to maximize
their own leadership skills and inspire others to accomplish
extraordinary business results. Timothy Thomas is the author
of Creating
All-Star Performers: The Power of Effective Feedback,
now available for immediate download at www.MakariosConsulting.com |
