Transcript Empowerment & Proactivity

Empowerment
and
Proactivity
Cdr Tim Quinn
Fall 2007
What is Proactivity
 Acting
in advance to deal with an expected
difficulty
— Not
waiting to be told or “See what happens”
 Taking
initiative AND responsibility
 Accept circumstances, make conscious decisions,
and take positive actions to achieve unit’s goals
Qualities of Proactive People
 Accept
circumstances for what they are
— Don’t
worry about things they can’t control
— Produce consistent quality regardless
 Make
things happen
— Face
reality and get most out of environment
— Choose their course of action
 Seek
knowledge and understanding to improve
performance
— Acknowledge
 Positive
mistakes to learn and improve
Thinkers/Energetic
 Accept responsibility/Hold themselves accountable
Proactive is NOT
Pushy,
obnoxious, or aggressive
Defying orders
Bypassing the chain of command
Modifying responsibility
Sidestepping accountability because of
convenience
Proactive vs. Reactive
 Reactive
people allow problems/circumstances to
control their actions
 Lack foresight, often caught unprepared
 Often forced into a decision rather than choosing
how to act
 Focus on problems they cannot control; Often
consuming areas they could control
 Negative thinkers/Filters through whole group
 Don’t acknowledge mistakes
— Rationalize,
justify why it’s not their fault
— Allows original mistake to get bigger
Proactive vs. Reactive Language
Proactive
Reactive
“I choose”
“I can’t”
“I prefer”
“I have to”
“I’ll look at my options” “There’s nothing I can do”
“I’ll try a different way”
“I am what I am”
“I’ll adjust my priorities”
“I’m too busy”
This language reveals the root attitude
and overall commitment of person
Empowerment
 What
is it?
— Yield
power to those who can “get the job done” (vice
hoarding)
 Two
types:
Formal – authority and responsibility that comes with a
rank or position
Informal – sharing power (responsibility and information)
to subordinates to meet common goals
 Empowered
people are not afraid to assume
responsibility and be held accountable because they
are confident their actions will be worthwhile
Why is Empowerment Important?
 Facilitates
teamwork, helps build consensus
 Improves decision-making
— Subordinates
feel like “part of the team”
— Know they’ll be listened to and taken seriously
 Help
develop subordinates
— Harness
individual talents to the fullest
— Build possible future leaders
 Empowerment
— One
encourages proactivity
fails without the other
— Proactive personnel will be rewarded with greater
empowerment
Empowerment and Proactivity
All
the empowerment vested in a person is
useless if the person fails to act
When
fostered carefully, both become
valuable tools to a leader in building a
positive, productive, and successful command
culture
Empowerment and Proactivity
Leader
empowers
subordinates
Empowerment
encourages personnel
to be proactive
Proactive
personnel
rewarded
w/further
empowerment
Questions?