7 Ways to Become a Powerhouse
When you empower others , your own power increases. It’s not counterintuitive. It’s the Law of Reciprocity at work. When you do something nice for people they feel compelled to return the favor. In this case, by empowering others, you influence them to feel more positive about you, which translates into increased trust. The greater your influence, the greater the trust, the more they will empower you back and accept your leadership.
But make no mistake. Power is not an ego trip: it’s a responsibility; and as a team, you share it. Together, and under your leadership, you forge a positive environment that inspires, motivates, and cultivates excellence.
So where to begin? That’s where your basic human skills come in, and it’s under the broad heading of treating other people as you want to be treated yourself.
- When you empower others, make them accountable. Set deadlines and expect results.
- Put your iron fist away. You’re the leader of a team and you all share responsibility. No barking allowed. No assigning blame. ‘How can we fix this’ is always better than ‘Look what you did.’ Keep your focus on how to improve, and the end result.
- Be decisive. Don’t be wishy-washy when it comes to decision making. You’re a team, but you’re in charge. Get input, but make a decision. Your team doesn’t need a leader who can’t make up his/her mind.
- Ask your team what they need to do their job better. If something is slowing down their progress, how can you make it better?
- Spread the love around. Expect the best and celebrate it. Dole out compliments regularly. It’s good for morale. When someone does something good, when a milestone is reached, when you’re just having a good day, go out of your way to acknowledge and appreciate. (A dozen donuts or a couple of pizzas wouldn’t hurt either).
- Always be available. Keep your door open. Mentor. Coach. Lead. Strategize. Brainstorm. They’re your people. You’re in this together. Just remember: you can help them figure out the best way to do something, but leave the actual ‘doing’ to them. (Let them enjoy the sense of accomplishment).
- Put on a happy face. That doesn’t mean you have to pretend everything is rosy when things go wrong. What it does mean is when the going gets tough the last thing your team needs is negativity from the top.
Learn how to rephrase your thoughts. Turn any negative comments from your team around too, and put them in a better light. For example, if someone complains ‘Oh this will never work,’ why not ask, ‘Well how can we make it work’? It will re-channel the brain into thinking creatively and positively. That goes for you too.
Remember, it’s harder to change attitudes than it is to change behaviors. If you start by changing how people outwardly react to things, the end result will be a shift in how they feel about it – and that’s attitude.
Will that make every day a good day? Yes, unless you have other plans!