Ten Ways to Gain Initiative by Giving Authority

Image source by Виталий Смолыгин

Ineffective leaders seize and hoard authority; successful leaders give it. Those who cling to authority loose it. Those who give authority gain authority.

Authority is permission to act without permission.

Control freaks never inspire initiative. The more they control the less initiative – acting without permission – others take. Inspire initiative by giving authority.

Benefit:

Giving authority enhances your authority.

Releasing others to act apart from your direct guidance motivates them to seek your guidance. Delegating decisions enhances commitment to you and your organization.

People who believe they matter act like they matter.

Giving authority:

1. Train and equip to handle authority effectively.
2. Begin slowly.
3. Establish structures and systems that guide and limit authority.
4. Give decisions to those impacted by decisions.
5. Create titles. Titles convey authority and they don’t cost anything.
6. Create revised, temporary chains of command based on organizational context and team member competence.
7. Publicly explain new authority.
8. Establish the authority of others by deferring to those with expertise.
9. Share benefits and consequences of mistakes. Teams who hire a poor fit need to deal with replacing or reassigning them, for example.
10. Never neglect your authority.

Example:

Give teams authority to hire co-workers.

Warning:

You lose authority when others believe you are neglecting authority or passing the buck. Giving authority isn’t an excuse to not do your job.

Giving authority – asking people to act without permission – is the leaders job.

Who to trust with authority:

1. Do they clearly understand, embrace, and exemplify values, mission, and vision?
2. Do they understand organizational context and consequences of decisions?
3. Have they demonstrated competence?
4. Do they embrace accountability for choices? How have they dealt with past failures? Blame or responsibility.

Gain authority by giving it.

How can leaders effectively give authority?

How to Become a Culture Building Leader

Lazy leaders blame. Arrogant leaders push down. Fearful leaders push away.

Facebook contributors said, “The worst leaders ______:”

1. Talk too much and think too little.
2. Believe collaboration shows weakness.
3. Fear risk.
4. Need power.
5. Never acknowledge weakness.
6. More (posted on 3/4/13)…

All leaders build organizational culture, worst included.

Negative impact:

Lousy leaders build lousy organizational culture. Anyone suggesting leadership is overrated hasn’t worked with lousy leaders. However…

Power to destroy suggests power to create.

Those who tear down have power to build up.

Culture building leaders:

Dr. Vik (Doc) explains the type of leaders who build empowering organizational cultures in, “The Culture Secret.” Leaders who empower:

1. Connect rather than withdraw. “Leaders can’t lead anything from the office.”
2. Build “chains of empowerment” not “chains of command.”
3. Concentrate on the success of others.
4. Exercise “power with,” not “power over.”
5. Tell people what needs to be done not what to do.
6. Focus on employee strengths.
7. Express gratitude.
8. Make people feel they matter.
9. Emphasize positives even when dealing with negatives.
10. Use “we,” “ours,” and, “us.”
11. Show interest.
12. Know names.

Becoming a culture builder:

1. Believe you matter in the face of obstacles, opposition, and negativity.
2. Choose creation over destruction.
3. Courageously dream and consistently talk about what could be.
4. Find and exploit points of alignment. Don’t push against, pull with.
5. Keep smiling.

I’m recommending, “The Culture Secret,” for any leaders looking to ramp up their culture building skills and activities.

Connect with Doc:

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What behaviors do culture building leaders exhibit?

What activities build empowering cultures?