8

Empower Them to Make Decisions

You’ve got to be able to trust the wisdom of the team.
Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, president and CEO, Craig Hospital

One of the most crippling things managers do to those they lead is micromanage their every move, making it difficult for their employees to think and act independently. Caring leaders trade micromanagement for empowerment, by allowing those they lead room to do what they think is right even if that means making a mistake. These leaders understand that true growth and learning comes through empowerment and that those they lead are adults who can make their own decisions. The caring leader is secure and self-confident enough to entrust others with this autonomy; in contrast, consider the insecure leader, who feels every task must be tightly controlled to ensure that his or her vision is fulfilled.

I remember working for a manager who wanted to know my every move and how I planned to go about achieving a project she put in my lap. She required that I meet with her every week on the timeline for completion, and then she brought one of her colleagues in to “work with” me without my asking. I have an entrepreneurial spirit. So, this immediately felt like she was squeezing me. What should my manager have done? She should have allowed me to accomplish that project, using my experience and insight, and met with me weekly to see how things were progressing. At those weekly check-ins, she could have asked if I needed any assistance. Instead, I felt a total lack of respect and trust. Therefore, I quickly looked for an exit strategy from her team and that organization.

Provide Fertile Soil

I was very taken by the imagery of the words that Christinne Johnson of FirstBank used to describe how she sees her role in empowerment: “I try to clear the path and encourage the heart and then get out of the way, because people want to . . . excel and they want to be empowered, and they want to . . . do these great things. And the last thing I want to do is be in the way of that. So, that’s exactly what I try to do—open up the paths, open up the doors.” I have worked with Christinne, and I have seen how she empowers the other leaders who report to her.

Mareo McCracken, chief customer officer at Movemedical, presented a pragmatic and compelling look at the role of empowerment:

Because often when you’re not in a leadership role, you feel like you don’t have control over the things you want to do. So, you think you’ll get more control by being a leader, but what I’ve learned is that leaders often have less actual control because they’re reliant. You have to rely so much on the people you lead that there’s even less that you have the ability to actually do yourself. If you can’t learn to delegate and empower, you can’t really be a leader.

Mareo was spot-on! If you are not empowering others to make their own decisions and do their best work, you are not a caring leader.

One of the ways to show those you lead that you care is to loosen up control, be clear on your expectations, and trust them to do what you hired them to do. Keith Freier, director of operational systems and technology at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, shared his unique way of looking at clearing the path:

Somebody along the way told me . . . your job as a leader is to build the runway and then get out of the way and let them fly and land the planes. And it’s a simple analogy, but it makes a lot of sense . . . that we as leaders oftentimes might get too tied up in the day-to-day details and micromanage. The best thing is to select a very highly qualified team, set your expectations, and then fully empower them to be successful and get out of their way. And let them know that you’re here to support them.

You will notice that I am not referring to delegation but empowerment. To delegate is to ask someone to perform an act in the place of another.¹ Empowerment is more expansive. Merriam-Webster defines empower as “to promote the self-actualization or influence of.”² I prefer to empower, because I want those I lead to step outside of expected parameters not only to solve business challenges but also to use their gifts to the highest purpose for themselves and the team. This is the difference that makes all the difference for those led by caring leaders. It’s not just “Go do this thing for me, please, since I am unable to do it”; it adds, “Do what is necessary to achieve the ends we both understand, and do it with creativity and gusto!”

To truly empower those we lead, we do need to set clear expectations of team and organizational goals and include the team in deciding what the team’s goal and objectives should be.

Set Clear Expectations

Caring leaders set clear expectations for those they lead so that they do not cause confusion and frustration. When employees derive a sense of accomplishment from achieving what they set out to do, they have a deep connection to their work. The clearer that employees are about what is expected of them, the more they feel that the work they do is meaningful. Meaningful work is a primary driver of employee loyalty.

As Cheryl Fullerton, executive vice president, people and communications, at Corus Entertainment, so intelligently put it, “The most important thing I think a leader is there to do is be very clear about objectives, and make sure . . . people know why and how they fit into what great looks like. . . . Great people will sometimes just figure out all the rest on their own.”

Melissa Eovine, manager of sponsorship at the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), added some rich texture to Cheryl’s thoughts in pointing out that there is a balance between empowerment and clarity: “The more specific detail you can give them with the freedom to do it in the way that they need, is more than efficient. Because if there is something that needs to be done and they’re creative in the way that they do it, then you’re allowing both to happen.”

Speaking in our interview about what caring for those we lead means, Kevin Patterson said, “I think it’s really important in an organization that everybody’s really clear . . . get everybody on the same page . . . and then . . . the song sounds right. If you’re on a different page, everybody’s not singing the same song. . . . It doesn’t sound right.”

Kevin highlighted that it is clarity that turns empowerment into a gift. Without it, team members are left feeling disoriented and doubtful about their course of action. As he pointed out, once they are clear on the direction, it is less important that they get there the way we want them to. They need to figure out their own path. They will feel more accomplished if they get there on their own.

Rich Gassen of the University of Wisconsin-Madison understood this concept when he took it upon himself to rewrite the mission and strategic vision for his small department, and he worked with his team to come up with the goals for their unit. To make the goals front and center in their daily operations, they print them out on large-format signs and post them where everyone can see them. He uses that mission and vision as a guiding star when meeting with team members, and he refers back to them when working to brainstorm with his team and when administering performance reviews.

When used in this way, mission, values, and goals come to life and provide the clarity needed to ensure that everyone is on the same page, best prepared to thrive, and hearing the same song.

When we think of the caring leader, we must realize that there is a balance between giving clear direction and leading with heart. If we are too loose in our direction, then team members might feel insecure and a little lost; when we are clear with them, as Kevin highlighted above, we help to cure those insecurities and embolden our people. Clarity is an important brushstroke for the caring leader. This is a special combination. The leader who can set a clear path while also demonstrating concern and compassion for how her people walk the path has the special touch of a caring leader. Another special hue in the caring leader’s palette is when she invites risk-taking as part of innovating and helping people grow.

Invite Risk-Taking

Risk-taking goes hand in hand with empowerment. Why do I think that? The definition of empowerment is “the granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or duties.”³ Implicit in empowerment is a level of independence or minimal oversight. Mistakes happen whether or not someone is watching.

Many employees are fearful of making mistakes because of the potential ramifications, based upon their personal experiences. Those who lead with heart invite risk-taking and allow thoughtful mistakes. As a result, team members who report to this type of leader are more likely to innovate and collaborate to overcome business challenges, since they feel free to do so. Micromanagement is the enemy of these efforts.

When encouraging his teachers to take risks, Andrew McDonald, principal of Our Lady of Loreto Catholic School, invites them to be reflective both when something works and when it doesn’t. When something does not work, Andrew coaches his teachers to ask, “What could I have done differently?” or “Where might we have gone off track?”

Andrew’s point about the importance of debriefing after taking risks or embarking on a new process or project is a good one. It not only allows for reflection and learning but also acts as an accountability source for all involved.

Jo-Ann Robertson, CEO of Ketchum London, has a refreshing perspective on risk-taking: “If they take the initiative and they’re entrepreneurial, and it goes wrong . . . I’ll be there to have their back and help them to learn from it. . . . But let’s take those learnings and build from it. I’ll help you put it back together and move forward.”

Both Andrew’s and Jo-Ann’s mindsets also reinforce the psychological safety concept discussed in chapter 7. The caring leader wants to see and unleash the best ideas from his people. To do this, he understands that removing barriers to innovative thinking, such as fear of mistakes or being ridiculed for voicing opinions, is the only way to reveal those ideas.

Although caring leaders empower their people to take risks and let them arrive at their own conclusions in their own way, they are still a resource for their people when they need guidance or direction.

Be a Resource

There is a difference between empowering people and abdicating your responsibility. We can observe that caring leaders empower those they lead by allowing them to be courageous to move the business forward in responsible ways. Then the leader stands as a resource or as a sounding board. The leader might check in with his team member or just be in the distance ready to help.

Many years ago, as a part of our honeymoon, my husband and I went to a five-star restaurant. It was lovely! I recall that they introduced five different servers for our table, but we saw them only when they sensed that we needed them. They remained in the shadows. When our glasses were empty or we needed more bread, one of those servers would just appear. This is what I have in mind when I think of the caring leader who empowers her team. Once she allows that freedom, she is just a resource for her team when they need help or more direction.

In alignment with that concept, D’anthony Tillery, assistant vice president of talent acquisition at Atrium Health, explained, “You have to really give the employees the right level of support and freedom to make the right decisions. . . . You also have to give them the guide rails to ensure that they understand. Given that power, they also have an opportunity to engage with you, ensuring that they are pointing toward the right direction.”

Steve McIntosh, founder and CEO of CML Offshore Recruitment, sees empowerment as a partnership between the team member and the organization: “My approach to leadership these days is not to tell people what to do, but to agree what needs to be done, and to make sure they have the resources and the support they need to be able to do it well.”

Greg Wathen, president and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, views empowerment as a form of respect between individuals. In his view, how one achieves a goal or objective is less important. His philosophy is to respect that everyone brings different styles and skills to the table. Greg’s focus is on being collaborative and understanding. I know this to be true about Greg because I met him after seeing a post on social media by one of his colleagues. This female executive, who was subordinate to Greg, needed to go into a meeting, but she had her child at work with her. What stood out about Greg as a CEO was that he waited outside the meeting and cared for her child while she led the meeting inside. That is collaboration and understanding at its best!

Chuck Runyon, of Anytime Fitness, believes that empowerment is just his way of building up those he leads, and then they build up the business in return: “So, every day . . . we drive to work thinking we work for these people. They don’t work for us. . . . It’s our job to make sure they have the capabilities, they have the resources, they have the right plan. A lot of times, they’re creating the plan, and we’re just helping them edit it or prioritize a plan and they need a sounding board.”

You can easily see how leaders who care think of empowerment differently. Yet, they all create a fertile ground on which those they lead can do their best work with limited constraints. These leaders look at risk-taking as part of standard operating procedures for the workplace, but they do not abandon their people in the process. They all show us that caring leadership is, indeed, an art form.