Empowerment (part 2 of 2)

Only secure leaders are able to give themselves away. Mark Twain once remarked that, “Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets the credit.” Some take that a step farther. They believe that great things can happen only when you give the credit to others. They are the empowerers. Leadership must be based on goodwill. It means wholehearted commitment to helping followers. It is men of heart who are so helpful that they, in effect, do away with the need of their jobs. Leaders like that are never out of a job and never out of followers. Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by giving it away. Abraham Lincoln is a great example of this. Although he was often accused of having stretched the power of the Executive Office, he based his power upon the empowerment of others. He could not have commanded so much executive power had he not built up a base of empowered leaders who wholeheartedly supported him. This is clearly demonstrated in his empowerment of his general during the Civil War, despite his own strong opinions on how the war should be conducted. He gave others credit for the victories and took full responsibility for the “opportunities missed”. Leaders, such as Lincoln, take the blame for failure and give others the credit for success. Consequently, a key to empowering others is a high belief in people. Empowerment is powerful, not only for the person being developed, but also for the mentor. Enlarging others makes you larger. It helps others achieve what they could not have done on their own. It makes them a better leader. That is the impact of the Principle of Empowerment. Do you or of someone you know struggle with empowerment? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com