I have studied the teachings of many great thought leaders of our time, and those of long ago. They all have great wisdom and knowledge for us to ponder.
I will always remember listening to Peter Drucker in a presentation he gave in 2002, where in his usual bold and brash kind of way in the middle of a thought he blurted out “I HATE the word empowerment. It makes us think that we the empowered are going to sprinkle pixie dust on you the un-empowered”.
Those words stuck with me and as with all things we hear and read, we need to figure out for ourselves what we believe about them. For me, the word empowerment has always been meaningful, but the context in which it is used has led to comments such as the one by Peter Drucker. He is right.
Empowerment begins with the two letters E and M. Put them together another way, they spell the word ME. That is the power of the word. Empowerment begins with ME.
Think of this in the context of your work situation. Do you feel empowered in the work you do? Do you feel empowered to use your skills and passions to the fullest? Are you able to be a creative thinker and share those ideas with your team? If not, why not? Think carefully here – it is always so easy to blame the boss, the supervisor or the system. Where do you need to take responsibility for your current situation and recognize that change needs to happen?
Share your thoughts here. What comes to mind for you and what has been your reality when it comes to EMPOWERMENT?