- When Leaders Share Power Power they Gain Power
- Collaboration Thrives on Shared Power Not Micromanaging
- Team Empowerment Depends on Properly Training Your Teams
Recently, I wrote about the tremendous business impact of leaders using referent power and how it creates environments driven by trust, not fear. At the heart of this is communication. Referent power is how the control freak can become more comfortable with delegating.
I’m sure we’ve all seen it: the coercive boss who hoards power and likes to be a part of every decision. They worry if they delegate they will be seen as less valuable. The bottom line is that leaders who really understand the value of referent power, who really get to know their teams and communicate on a calm, sincere level, will gain more than respect and loyalty. They gain higher performing teams and will be seen as invaluable to their superiors.
The problem many people in power face, however, is that they’re uncomfortable distributing power and they become micromanagers who sow distrust in everyone’s decision making by being punitive when people think for themselves. Micromanagement communicates that only the leader possesses the power to make decisions and this creates many forms of negative communication and distrust, the opposite of referent power. This is the leader operating from the standpoint of fear rather than growth. Not to mention the time you lose when micromanaging every decision.
People don’t realize that giving power – creating opportunities for people to learn, innovate and develop new ideas – does not have to mean giving up anything. In fact, it is the exact opposite when it comes to referent power; distributing power rather than hoarding it results in more power for the leader themself.
In the world of academic research and scholarship, we call this ‘shared power’. It’s obvious, simple and leads to better outcomes. When shared power is present, there’s cooperation which results in collective survival, personal growth, trust and prevents abuse. Key here, for business leaders, entrepreneurs and anyone who actually wants to build their referent power, is cooperation. And we know why: no one goes out of their way to communicate with a micromanaging jerk. It’s disempowering, insulting, demoralizing and unpleasant and it’s so common in many parts of our lives.
The opposite, of course, is empowerment. Empowerment is the key to creating a culture that’s flexible and innovative; a culture where people not only want to be but one they want to stay a part of. As a leader, yes, I get it. Sometimes, it’s hard to delegate. I will admit it, I’m a control freak and I’m hardly the only one out there. Letting go of the reins isn’t easy and sharing the wheel can feel unnatural. But if you develop the team correctly, this will help all of you control freaks out there the same way it does for me.
Find ways to empower your employees so you don’t have to micromanage. Teach and train them properly and spend time developing their skills. This upfront investment not only builds trust but it will give you something we all wish we had more of, time. I often find that leaders who are the most overworked are micromanagers who don’t properly train their teams. When I ask them about why they are hesitant to share responsibilities they usually don’t have confidence in their teams’ abilities. That is not the teams’ fault, that is the leader’s fault. The empowerment process starts with a clear vision and proper training.
Leading with referent power and sharing it makes everyone’s life easier. The most innovative and successful businesses embrace empowerment. This is not easy for my fellow control freaks out there, but remember the only way we improve is admitting our faults and working on them. I challenge the control freaks reading this to take a small step and delegate something today, empower your employee. I also challenge you to reevaluate how you are training your employees and admit that you might be the reason for the lack of confidence you have in your team. I promise you, it’s not as hard as you think and the time you will gain is well worth it.