False Empowerment Presented by A Bret Cummens IRSDeaf

False Empowerment Presented by A. Bret Cummens IRS/Deaf August 24, 2016

Contributing to a Successful Team l Management, employee involvement, teams, and employee empowerment, enable people to make decisions about their work. l This presentation today will help you learn how to build better working strategies of how to approach different people.

Group Workplace Dynamics l Problem-solving and decision-making process mirror ecosystems. l l e. g. A group’s chance of success falls sharply when group dynamics – the personal relationships among members – aren’t ideal to a successful workplace environment. This includes all levels of organizations, not just our working environment

False Empowerment l Many of us have said that we’ve empowered ourselves. However, our attitudes and behaviors may prove otherwise. l The table on the next illustration compares empowerment with false empowerment. l Review the criteria to identify what you do with empowerment.

Comparative Illustration True Empowerment False Empowerment Allows employees to make decisions, including mistakes, on their own. Creates leaders who take over at the first sign of trouble. Makes employees feel they make a difference in the organization. Blinds employees to the link between their work and company goals. Makes employees feel responsible for the Enables leaders to claim success for the success of their department. entire department. Allows employees to express their thoughts and opinions openly. Makes employees hesitate to share thoughts and opinions. Involves employees in important tasks, decisions, and projects. Enables leaders to reserve important tasks and decisions to themselves. Makes employees eager and willing to help out wherever they’re needed. Keeps employees in their own territory, not looking for other places to help out.

Feedback l Did you experience any of these things in your environment? l What did you do to resolve the issue? l Note: Be brief when sharing your experience.

Economics of Trust Here is a simple formula that will enable you to take trust from a variable to a factor that is affecting all of us. l The formula is based on an insightful perspective: Trust always effects two outcomes – speed and cost. l l l A) When trust goes down, speed will also go down and cost will go up. B) When trust goes up, speed will also go up and costs will go down.

Formula based on Trust l A) l Speed h Cost i. e. TSA Airport Security l B) l i Trust = i h Trust = h Speed i Cost i. e. “Bob”, a Donut-Coffee vendor in NYC.

Positive Work Environment l 1) Display that you value people l 2) Share the vision together l 3) Contribute to goals and direction l 4) Trust your peers l 5) Share authority and opportunity l 6) Provide constructive feedback l 7) Solve problems together, not finding fault

1) Display that you value people l Your consideration for people is reflected in all of your actions and words. l Facial expressions, body language, and words being expressed displays one’s attitude towards others. l Your goal is to display your appreciation of others.

2) Share the vision together l Share with your peers that they are part of something bigger than themselves and their individual goals. Let them know they have access to the overall purpose or strategic plans.

3) Contribute to goals and direction l Share goals and direction for your group. Make progress for a productive outcome with the people responsible for accomplishing the results. Empowered employees can chart a course without close supervision.

4) Trust your peers l Trust the intentions of your peers to do the right thing and make the right decisions and choices, that will provide clear expectations for the outcome of the team. Focus on accomplishing, not wondering, worrying, and/or secondguessing.

5) Share authority and opportunity l Let your peers grow and develop new skills together. It’s okay to learn by mistakes, and grow from failures. Lead by example. Delegate together to accomplish more (two heads are better than one).

6) Provide constructive feedback l Provide feedback frequently. l This will help keep ourselves on the right track. Sometimes, the purpose of feedback is for a reward and recognition. l This is a good opportunity to be coached and to coach others.

7) Solve problems together, not finding fault l When a problem occurs, find what the source is, not the process of it. l Seek to identify and remedy the situation, not the person.

Conclusion l When peers feel under-compensated, under-noticed, under-praised, and underappreciated, don’t expect the results to be successful. l Peers must feel empowered in a positive work environment, in order to voluntarily invest in working with others. l For successful peer empowerment, recognition plays a significant role.

Any questions? l Resources: l l The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey, Free Press, 2006 The Power of Empowerment, Bill Ginnodo, Pride Publications, Inc, 1997 The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Productivity, Quality, and Employee Satisfaction, William C. Byham, Ballantine Publishing Group, 1988 The 3 Keys to Empowerment: Release the Power Within People for Astonishing Results, Blanchard, et al, Berrett. Koehler Publishers, Inc. 1999