Empowerment & Proactivity
Download
Report
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?