Tweet

Empowerment at Work

Written by: Jeanie Marshall

Article Overview: The word "empower" has potency and strength. It's used frequently these days — some say "overused." It's also misused.

Empowerment at Work

The word "empower" has potency and strength. It's used frequently these days — some say "overused." It's also misused. Similar to the concept of "motivation," the most common misuse of the idea of empowerment is that one person can empower another. Empowerment, as I use the word, is an inner-to-outer dynamic, most useful when preceded by silence and awareness of inner guidance. Empowerment is not simply another way to "get" something, it's a condition that supports you in living life fully.

Empowered Persons

Empowered persons are balanced, confident, aware, vital, caring, and ready. Those who are empowered are not depressed, confused, aggressive, divisive, or wishy washy. Of course, even empowered persons have days or moments of confusion or frustration or doubt, but the predominant expression is one of confidence and strength and consideration of themselves and others. Also, empowerment can be situational, that is to say, you may feel and be empowered in one situation but not another.

Most people, though certainly not all, like to be in the presence of those who are truly empowered because the energy in and around them is contagious and healing. Empowered persons are eager to laugh and experience the moment in a way that helps others to find their own power. When empowered persons shine their light, others can more easily find their own light. The behavior of empowered persons is often imitated, but empowerment is not just a set of actions and behavior. Actions aligned with inner knowingness and strength are necessary for true empowerment. Enlightened consciousness is the source of empowered actions rather than the other way around. Since empowered persons are powered from the inside, they carry their power with them.

As I've mentioned above in a positive way, let me be clear here what empowered persons don't do: empowered persons don't get their power from other persons. Empowered persons don't hit or overpower or trample on others' rights, make malicious remarks, put others down, use derogatory humor, dominate meetings, or suppress others. Empowered persons don't give their power away to others — nor do they let others take their power (which is simply a variation on "giving away power).

To be empowered, you must release outdated beliefs, dense vibrations, repressed fears and resentments. To be empowered, you must replace disempowering beliefs with those that are empowering. To be empowered, you must be conscious of the focus of your attention, your thoughts, and your feelings. To be empowered, consider your own desires and beliefs and feelings as well as others' desires and beliefs and feelings. To be empowered, start where you are right now without feeling wrong or believing you need to be "fixed."

Empowered Organizations

Empowered organizations are composed of empowered persons, although it's not necessarily true that a group of empowered persons automatically creates an empowered organization. Organizations that are truly empowered have moved out of the old paradigm of negative competition and beliefs in limitation and scarcity. Many persons — including me — like to consider the empowered organization is one that is moving or has moved into a "new paradigm."

Empowered organizations in the new paradigm have transformed themselves so that they're able to demonstrate such characteristics as: clear and honest communications, collaboration within and between work units (usually called teams), shared responsibility in all aspects of task and process, and delivery of high quality products and services driven by customer/client needs.

Persons in empowered organizations are likely to talk about the "joy" of work and feeling "love" for their team mates, although such words may not be expressed nor are the expression of such such words proof of empowerment.

Moving from There to Here

Most individuals agree with the desirability of concepts like "open communications," "collaboration," and "customer-driven" goals. However, established norms often prevent embodying the actions that bring these concepts into fruition. Distrust still prevails in many organizations, especially those faced with downsizing efforts that have been or are being carried out with brutal methods. Belief that an organization is in business for the sole purpose of earning money keeps organizations stuck in dysfunctional patterns.

It's important to respect where an individual or organization is right now. Simply pushing a new paradigm on an old one doesn't work. Lasting change happens from the inside out. The organizational structure of the old paradigm is linear and vertical: top-down and bottom-up. Ignoring the chain of command is an offense in many traditional organizations, reinforcing this linear approach.

As organizations downsize or otherwise change their structure, the linear and vertical movement tends to change to horizontal and circular. The old approach of looking to see what the one at the top of the organization wants shifts to looking inside to discern what serves the highest good with the help of intuition. Some of the popular names for the new organizations that are in alignment with this horizontal-circular-inward formation are: "team," "cluster," "learning organization," "circles," and "networks."

With my window of looking at energy fields and working with energetic principles, I find the "flattening" of organizations to be exciting and forward-moving. The flattening (eliminating layers of management and other realignments) may not feel very positive when it's happening, but the end results can be extremely positive. Out of the chaos grow the new forms and patterns of working and being together to do business. Chaos theory that has emerged over the last few years can help you to understand this act of discovery and creation of all kinds of systems.

Chaos theory also helps you to understand paradigms: old, new, and emerging. A new form or pattern or paradigm emerges when the old one no longer works. For those of you who find my definition of paradigms too simplistic, I encourage you to read one or more of the following books.

Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick
Future Edge: Discovering New Paradigms of Success by Joel Barker
The Fifth Discipline: The Learning Organization by Peter Senge
Managing as a Performing Art by Peter Vaill
Leadership and the New Science by Margaret J. Wheatley

Who is empowered?

You are empowered because of who you are,
not because of your relationship to others.

Empowerment comes from inside, not outside.
Guided by high intention, this power is used for the good of all.

Competition leads you to believe that resources are limited.
When you turn within, you recognize that creativity is unlimited,
leading you to unlimited resources.

You compete with a belief in limited power.
You are empowered by unlimited power.

Today, help someone else to be empowered.
Such an act might help you find your own power.

Copyright © 2006 Marshall House

Related Articles
  Changing the Way You Think Can Empower You
  Leadership empowerment: what is it and how do you do it?
  Employee Empowerment
  Empowerment, Autonomy & Discretion – Oh My!
  Money, Power and Empowerment - It's your choice!!

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Five Personality Traits of Successful Business Owners - 1. Focus 2. Ability to Adapt 3. Hard Work 4. Good planning 5. People Skills
Re: Books for the Entrepreneur - Another great book for internet entrepreneurs is The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris MichelleJ
Try wikipedia.com for more information - That depends what type of business you are involved in. Maybe if you share that, we can help you a little better. I work mostly in the Work at Home industry so my advice would only be along those lines.
Re: Vera Wang Profile - I too love this kind of success story Evan, I especially liked the article 'Nothing Replaces Hard Work', I can relate to a lot of things in there, take care Carol
Books for Women Entrepreneurs - There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here. It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new. In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment! 1. The Old Girl's Network 2. Mother's Work 3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women 4. Pitch Like A Girl 5. Workplace Warrior 6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer 7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery 8. She Wins, You Win 9. Napoleon On Project Management 10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do 11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years 12. The One Minute Millionaire 13. Talking From 9 to 5 14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions 15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success 16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded 17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful 18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End 19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide 20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen 21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business 22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker 23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business 24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises 25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy 26. The Promotable Woman 27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it 28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home 29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You Too Good for Your Job?

Life is a Balancing Act!

How To Be A Management Legend

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.