Empowerment
Introduction
Clichés abound regarding surrounding yourself with brilliant people; being the dumbest one in the room. Clichés abound, usually, because there’s truth in them. As a leader, your job is to identify and engage the best and brightest, and align them (or ensure they’re aligned with) the company’s Mission. If you can do that, the only way to screw things up is to limit your colleagues’ empowerment.
What
If someone has the ability, training, and demonstrated experience to execute a job, there is literally no reason to interfere with their execution of that job. If they have the ability and training, give them the opportunity to gain the experience. If they have the ability but not the training, provide the training. If they don’t have the ability, you’ve erred in putting them in the position they’re in. The best leaders understand that good people want to succeed, they want to grow, and they want their efforts – their lives – to have meaning. Ensure that your teams live the company values, that they have the right people in the right positions, that they have the right training, and that they understand the goals… then get out of the way! Caveat: if people are learning and growing, they’ll be even less perfect than if they’re doing the same old thing. Expect mistakes, accept mistakes, and expect and only accept it when mistakes lead to growth and learning.
When
Like most topics in this series, start doing this immediately.
Why
Why fight our inherent human desire to grow, learn, and contribute?! If people see your company as a way to enable their own growth, learning, and contribution to society, you’ll be aligned, and everyone – the company, the colleague, and society – wins.
Learning Goals
How to lead without micromanaging, how to ensure the right people with the right training are in the right roles, and how to trust… and verify.
Resources
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant