You Change Lives When You Empower Others! (Extending Influence #1)

 

When you empower others you change lives!

Why would Above the Standard create this article / white paper and include this in our suite of information?  In business, procurement, and as purchasing is expanding into the executive suite, where working with and influencing people is critical!
 

The Ability to Empower Others is one of the Keys to Personal and Professional Success.

“No matter how much work you can do, no matter how engaging your personality may be; you will not advance far in business if you cannot work through others.”, as truly stated by John Craig.  And J. Paul Getty said, “It doesn’t make much difference how much other knowledge or experience an executive possesses; if he is unable to achieve results through people, he is worthless as an executive.”
 
Some bold statements above – But, very true!
 

Empowered People

When you empower people, you not only work with and through others, you enable them to reach the highest levels in their personal and business development.  And, you benefit in many ways.  Empowerment is giving your influence on others for the purpose of personal and team growth.  It is seeing people’s potential, sharing your resources with them, and showing them that you believe in them completely.
 

Empowering Others! (Extending Influence #2)

 

Empowering Others

There are certain things you must possess to successfully empower others.  Some of the main areas are:

• Position
  • You cannot empower people who you are not leading.
  • Position means: A place where someone is located or has been placed: "their position in the organization".
• Relationship
  • It takes time and effort to develop relationships.
    • Effort is needed if you want to connect with people.
  • Relationship means: The way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.
• Respect
  • Relationships cause people to want to be with you.
    • Respect causes people to want to be empowered by you.
  • Respect means: Admire someone deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
• Commitment
  • People need to know you are going to be there for them.
  • Commitment means: Dedication and application.
• Attitude
  • Means you are a servant, have humility, are a giver, are secure, and embrace change.
  • Attitude means: A settled way of thinking or feeling which is typically reflected in a person's behavior.

 

How Do You Know? (Extending Influence #3)

 

How do you know if I am ready to influence / empower others?  

The questions below will help you establish your foundation, plan, and initiate team goals in the proper perspective.  Take some time, ask yourself the questions, and take whatever necessary action to change your life and others in your life.
 

1. Am I willing to serve others and not take credit myself?
2. Do I believe in people and feel that they are the most valuable / appreciable asset?
3. Would I be willing to publicly give my authority and influence on potential leaders?
4. Would I be willing to invest time developing people who have leadership potential?
5. Do I believe that empowering others can accomplish more than individual achievement?
6. Would I be willing to let others work me out of my job?
7. Do I want to help those in my team become greater than me?
8. Would I be willing to hand the leadership baton to the people I empower and truly encourage and support them in their new position?
9. Do I allow others freedom of personality and process, or do I have to be in control?
10. Do I challenge and inspire others to become the person they want to become?
11. Would I be willing to let others get credit for what I taught them?
12. Am I only interested in my own life (finances, appearance, present, etc.), or do I see a legacy, and do I see those that I influence helping others over the next several decades?
13. Do I actively search for potential leaders to empower?
14. Do I tell people the truth with care and concern for their feelings?

As you are influencing others, you will need to be bold and humble at the same time as you direct with truth yet supportive direction.

15. Would I be willing to raise others to a level higher than my own level of leadership?

 
Stop for a moment and read the questions again – Let them sink in!
 

Be Directed! (Extending Influence #4)

 

Be Molded and Directed in Your Empowerment

Do not let the questions above stop you but let them mold you and direct you in your empowerment (influence) of people.  Act change your life from the areas that you know you need to work on and become the person you desire to be!
 

Remember, it is all about people!

People are the most valuable asset in any organization, in any team, and in life!
 

Changes

What are some things you can make to extend your influence and empower others (your leadership style) to become the best person they can be?
 

Example Change Areas

Below are some areas that will hopefully provide some areas to review in your life that you can work on to be become an empowering person.  This list is not all encompassing but will hopefully get you started in the right direction.

• Develop listening skills;
• Respect people with your responses;
• Become more organized;
• Say “please” and “thank you”;
• Lead by action and example (if you want others to follow, lead with what you desire from others);
• Be honest, have integrity, and ethics in all things;
• Become more direct instead of trying to please everyone (make sure that you are not rude when being direct – communicate in a supportive, coaching, and encouraging manner);
• Hold people, including yourself, accountable;
• Include your team (in projects, discussions, idea sessions, etc.);
• Implement the goods ideas and common-sense ideas of what others suggest;
• Give credit where due;
• Appreciate people; and
• Anything else that you can do to empower others to be their very best.

 

Empowered! (Extending Influence #5)

 

Empowerment

“By attempting to avoid the responsibility for our own behavior, we are giving away our power to some other individual or organization – In this way, millions daily attempt to escape from freedom” (Peck, Scott M. 1993, Meditations from the Road 31).
 
The above quote by M. Scott Peck explains how we disempower ourselves. We allow ourselves to be robbed of our power and consequently our freedom, by expecting others to take responsibility for us. We cannot influence others if we cannot take responsibility for a behavior and problem in our own lives. By owning the power over my own life I can become independent from others and influence others. Empowering others is a process.
 

Work Place Principle

Children and youth often feel powerless in situations where adults control the environment and make decisions for them. For young people to reclaim their power, they must be provided with as many opportunities as possible to make decisions over their own lives. The seemingly most insignificant decision can give a young person a great sense of control and ownership over his/her life. Young people then learn that they are responsible for the outcomes of decisions. This is a crucial step in achieving a sense of independence.  This same principle applies in the work environment.
 
When workers are disempowered it is very difficult for them to empower others. What often happens is that in order to have some sense of power and control, the worker exerts extreme power over the less ranking people and younger people. This is in order to meet the worker’s need for gaining power in the work environment. This becomes a vicious cycle, because it simply disempowers the powerless. He/she is then likely to gain power in more intense ways.
 
True empowerment can only happen when “my own need” to control and exert power over others is extinguished. If I assume, I have power and others do not, they will not be empowered, but instead, resent me. No human being can empower another; we can only assist others with their process and allow them to take from us what they need in order to gain control (Oosthuizen, Sandra).