4 counter-intuitive actions to empower your team

Empowerment

4 counter-intuitive actions to empower your team

The theme of empowerment is on the lips of every leader we work with. Here are four counter-intuitive things you can do to make your team more accountable.

1. Be curious. Your team members will only be responsible if they're motivated to get the job done. So you need to take an interest in them and find out what motivates them. By asking the right questions, you'll be able to discover their motivators and give them the right assignments.
2. Pass the torch to them. Even if it's a challenge for you, decentralizing power is an essential part of empowerment. You're not doing them any favors by doing things for them or taking over their work. Give them the chance to make important decisions and find their own solutions.
3. Value the action. Adults learn by doing, rather than by being told what to do. By encouraging action, mistakes are bound to happen. When mistakes do occur, instead of punishing them, encourage team members to learn from them. A mistake of action is always more forgivable than a mistake of inaction. If the mistake happens again, it means it was a choice, and you should act accordingly.
4. Encourage the sharing of concerns. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, sharing concerns creates a safety net where members will be more inclined to ask questions, challenge ideas, ask for help and ultimately make more informed decisions.

Leadership

Develop yourself before you can develop your team

To quote Frederic Laloux, "The level of consciousness of an organization cannot exceed the level of consciousness of its leader."

This means that to improve your team's performance, you must first improve your own awareness of your own motivations, behaviors and beliefs. With a better understanding of yourself, you'll be able to better understand and guide your team members.

Source: Frederic Laloux, Reinventing Organizations
 

Motivation

Time is precious, cherish it

Over the past month, entrepreneur Sahil Bloom asked several 90-year-olds what advice they would give their younger version of themselves. Here's some of the life advice they gave:

1. Treat your body like a house you have to live in for another 70 years.
2. Tell your partner you love him or her every night before you go to sleep. One day, you won't be able to.
3. Don't be afraid of sadness, because it tends to be right next to love.
4. Do one good deed a day, but don't tell anyone about it.
5. Find the things you're passionate about and do more of them.
6. If a minor problem occurs, fix it. Minor problems become major problems over time.
7. Never let a good friendship go to waste. Send a message, make a call, plan a trip. Good friendships need to be nurtured.
8. Taking no risk is the biggest risk you can take. The regret of inaction is always more painful than the regret of action.
9. No amount of money is worth trading for your peace of mind.
10. When in doubt, love. We can always use more love.

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