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leadership traits” as defined by the Catalyst study [16] . As such, women should
be more effective in empowering a team if these were the only considerations.
However, Conger and Kanungo [17] argued that a view of empowerment as
“sharing power” is incomplete and that a complete conceptualization must also
include the motivational effect of empowerment on subordinates [18] . This was
work enhanced by Thomas and Velthouse [19] as they proposed a more complex
model focused on intrinsic task motivation. Kirkman and Rosen [20] further
extended the concept of empowerment to the team level. As we move toward
innovative cultures, this concept of empowerment is most compatible with the
needs of this environment.
An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire,
and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational
success.
Stephen Covey
The authors postulate that empowered teams perform at a higher level
because they experience higher potency and autonomy in performing their tasks.
The interpretation is that these team members find their tasks more meaningful
and impactful engendering a stronger personal commitment and higher intrinsic
motivation. Finally, the research [21] concludes that these perspectives comple-
ment one another and thus define empowering leadership as behaviors whereby
power is shared with subordinates and their level of intrinsic motivation is raised.
Behaviors of an empowering leader include: leading by example, participative
decision making, coaching, informing, and showing concern. In summary,
empowerment is the infusing of power in people or things. The best leaders are
those who know how to infuse positive energy, enthusiasm, and a shared vision
into others. This empowerment leads to powerful outcomes as it is the others -
or the “team,” not an individual leader - that bring about a change. Thus, it is
important that leaders empower others not only in their technical focus areas,
but to manage themselves, their projects, and to also lead. That means transfer-
ring knowledge and resources as well as providing mentorship and guidance as
projects are executed. Empowering others develops trust; it teaches, it inspires,
and, most importantly, it serves to train the next generation of leaders [22] .
To empower others, they must believe we care - about them as individuals
and the degree to which the vision impacts them. I love the quote, “People don't
care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” - Theodore
Roosevelt. This is a powerful statement that rings true in almost every environ-
ment and is critical in the perception that a team has of its leader. Yes, the leader
is at the helm of the organization, but the mindset should be that you as the
leader are “ first among equals .” In other words, the skills that the leader brings
must be considered as equal to those that each individual team member brings to
the organization. To accomplish this, the leaders should regularly acknowledge
the value and contribution of each team member throughout a project. This type
of leadership is valuable in creating and maintaining a team environment.
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