MICHAEL happened to notice an article sitting on his desk. The title caught his attention: “Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute.” In spite of his recent skepticism, this title intrigued him and he started reading the article. The author insisted that empowerment works, but it takes courage and time to get there. The article stated that you can't tell people to act empowered and expect them to just do it— exactly what he had done six months ago. If they have little or no past experience or involvement in decision making, they won't know what to do. They may talk like they want to make more decisions about their work, but they will not be comfortable with the downside risk of responsibility.
Citing an example of one company's success in empowering its people, the article went on to rave about the turnaround of a communications hardware company that had been caught napping by the advent of the exploding communications technology demands. The manager, some guy named Sandy Fitzwilliam, was credited with having an incredibly motivated staff who acted as if they owned the company. In fact, the article referred to Fitzwilliam as “the Empowering Manager.”
Maybe I ought to talk to him, thought Michael. Most of the consultants I've met over the years have never actually managed anything themselves. Maybe I can talk with this Fitzwilliam guy in practical terms.
It seemed like a good idea, yet Michael was reluctant as he dialed information for Fitzwilliam's number. He always hated to admit he needed help. It drove his wife crazy that he would never stop to get directions when they were lost. He would drive around stubbornly trying to figure out how to get to their destination on his own. Only as a last resort would he stop and ask for help.
I guess this is one of those “last resort” times, Michael thought. My board is not going to wait forever while I figure out how to make this company profitable again.
With that thought as his motivation, Michael dialed the Empowering Manager's number. After two rings, he was greeted by a woman's voice saying, “Hello!”
“I'd like to speak with Sandy Fitzwilliam,” Michael requested.
“Speaking,” was the quick reply.
Michael was caught completely off guard. It never even entered his mind that Fitzwilliam could be a woman. Sandy Fitzwilliam broke the silence by asking, “Hello, are you still there?”
“Yes. Yes,” stammered Michael.
“What can I do for you?” she asked politely.
Michael's mind was racing a mile a minute. Even though he was uncomfortable asking for help and desperately wanted to hang up, he found himself reluctantly explaining his situation and his need for some advice.
“We've streamlined our company so people can take more initiative and respond to customers more quickly. But people are still sending most decisions back up the hierarchical ladder. I've talked a lot about empowerment, and I can't understand why. . . .”
“Excuse me, Mr., uh. . . .”
“Oh, I'm sorry—my name is Michael Hobbs.”
“Can you be more specific about what exactly is the problem?” the Empowering Manager continued.
Michael gulped and thought for a moment. Then he said simply, “People won't run with the ball.”
“Let me ask you something,” she began. “Have you ever arrived at a retail store one minute after closing time, only to find the door locked? You needed something badly, and you saw people inside, so you knocked on the door—and nobody even looked up.”
“Yes. That happened to me just last week!” Michael exclaimed.
“Whose fault did you think it was? Who did you blame as you drove away?”
“The employees, of course!” Michael answered. “I bet the manager wasn't even there, and the workers were watching the clock, anxious to close shop. They probably weren't even thinking about me. They just wanted to get the heck out of there.”
“Wrong!” Fitzwilliam chimed.
“What do you mean, wrong?” Michael asked defensively.
“Of course the employees were anxious to leave. But you're wrong about who was to blame. The fault was the owner's. Whoever the owner is, he or she did nothing to make the people who work there feel like they own the business. Otherwise, they would have opened the door.”
Michael thought it over in silence.
“Let me ask you another question,” the Empowering Manager went on. “If people were given the option, do you think they'd choose to be magnificent or ordinary at work?”
“Magnificent.”
“Do you really believe that? Or are you just saying it because you think you should believe it?”
“Why would you ask that?” Michael inquired.
“Because I need to know about your real, honest-to-goodness, core beliefs. If you don't have a basic faith in people, it's time for us to hang up. Empowerment depends on a strong belief and trust in your people.”
Michael was taken aback. Wow, he thought, this woman doesn't beat around the bush at all.
He answered reluctantly, “Well, if you must know, I don't have that much faith in people. It's partly because of the hierarchical thinking I grew up with and because this thinking has been reinforced in my MBA program and my work experience. When I think about it, it makes sense that people would rather do their best at their jobs, given the choice. But that's when I stop to think about it. My gut instinct is that people are not that responsible. They may like freedom to do what they want on the job, but they do not want to be held accountable when things go wrong.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” the Empowering Manager replied. “Recognizing that the world might pass you by if you don't change is half the battle. This is particularly true when you understand what empowerment is and what it is not.”
“That would certainly help,” said Michael. “I've never actually heard a good definition. To me it has always seemed that empowerment is giving people the power to make decisions, but somehow that just has not worked in our company.”
“That's what a lot of people think, but true empowerment is not giving people power,” she explained. “People already have plenty of power—in the wealth of their knowledge, experience, and motivation—to do their jobs magnificently. We define empowerment as ‘letting this people power out and focusing it on company issues and outcomes.' But you see,” she added in a more subdued tone, “I've learned this the hard way by making many mistakes along the road to empowerment.
“Real empowerment has at its core a sense of ownership,” she continued. “And it starts with the belief system of top management. Too many leaders still need to get over the notion that their people head off to work every morning asking themselves how they can get by with doing as little as possible today.”
“When you put it that way, it sounds terrible,” said Michael. “Are there that many leaders who have so little trust?”
“I can only go by their behavior,” said the Empowering Manager, “and by the results they get from their employees. It's not that people in organizations are unable to be their best—they're afraid to be their best. Most organizations are set up to catch people doing things wrong rather than to encourage and reward them for doing things right.”
Michael thought about that. “You know,” he said, “I agree. I've seen organizations like that.” Then he paused, sunk deep into thought, and finally said, “That's part of the problem at my company.” Again he paused, then added, “If we are to survive, our company has to be a place where people are proud to show what they can do and not afraid to be their best! I'm just not convinced that empowerment can get us there.”
“I think your doubts are sincere,” she said, “and I sense that your real satisfaction will come when you see people taking charge. I also pick up on your hunger for winning. You obviously don't want to settle for running an ordinary company. But I need to remind you that empowerment is a top-down, values-driven issue. That's why I had to check out your values. If you and your other managers cannot change, it will be hard to create a culture of empowerment for your people.”
“So I passed, huh?” Michael said sheepishly.
“For now. Can you come by my office at 2 P.M. this coming Tuesday?”
Michael quickly glanced at his calendar and said, “Sure. I'll see you on Tuesday.”
Just before she hung up, the Empowering Manager added, “We'll see if we can get you and your company started down the road to the Land of Empowerment.”
Shortly before two o'clock the following Tuesday afternoon, Michael pulled his car into the parking lot at Sandy Fitzwilliam's company and turned off the engine. From the passenger seat he picked up his electronic notebook and looked at the summary statement he had written there after his phone conversation with the Empowering Manager:
Unless empowerment starts at the top, it's going nowhere.
