Be Curious and Begin to Empower
To EMPOWER is to “give (someone) the authority or power to do something.” When you empower your employees you give them the authority or power to do their job. The control goes from you (the leader) to them and requires you to ask them for input, to trust their ability, and resist the urge to share your own opinion. It can all begin with a question, a curiosity.
Curiosity is the state of being curious: inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out.
It is important to understand what it means to be truly curious because it involves an element that may not be natural, in fact, it's not natural for most people. Throughout your life you have captured all of your experiences and collected them into the glasses in which you view the world. It is these unique glasses in which you see all things and without even thinking, you make judgments and assumptions based on your own experience. Each persons' glasses are different. When you are truly curious, you set aside all judgment and assumption - you remove your glasses. No doubt, that is much easier said than done! When you add your judgment and assumptions you are no longer open to “wonder” and will unintentionally direct and influence others, the opposite of what you are trying to do when you empower.
As a leader, you most likely want your employees to demonstrate independence and initiative. However, as a human you want to jump in and fix things for them because you care and you want to help - it’s a natural reaction. To truly empower, you must STOP robbing your employees of their problems!
When you consistently solve problems, direct or tell your employees what to do, you are essentially using your authority to get things done and creating dependence. This type of leadership has been called, "command and control", a style that was once practiced by many leaders. You may have even experience this from one of your leaders. You will likely find that overtime this type of leadership does not allow for innovation, creativity, and often diminishes the confidence of your employees.
Stay curious by:
Being a learner (be curious about things you absolutely don’t know about….and even more about what you think you already know!)
Being comfortable saying “I don’t know” (being in a state of not knowing can naturally stimulate curiosity and exploration)
Seeking, and being open to, other perspectives (yours is only one way of looking at the world)
Experimenting and Trying new things (stretch into exploring outside of your present knowing and experience)
As you work to shift your employees from depending on you to confidently thinking and acting independently you need to practice asking first rather than telling. It all starts with a question AND not just any question. Consider the types of questions you see in the continuum to the right. As you move across the continuum, you create opportunities for deeper thinking and exploration which will result in new perspective and awareness.
Over time, you will find that your employees become more capable of critical thinking, more likely to embrace a solution mindset and are able to solve their own problems, creating independence.
Start by giving it a try
Engage in a conversation with a friend, peer, spouse, or significant other. Ask them to tell you about a problem they are having or about a decision they need to make.
You must:
listen empathetically
ONLY ask open-ended / empowering questions
You cannot:
advise
tell
recommend
judge
This conversation should take at least 5 minutes.
Other Resources
Curiosity: A Leadership Trait That Can Transform Your Business To Achieve Extraordinary Results - Article
Ignite Your Curiosity - TedTalk
Better Questions Get Better Results - Article
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