You're a manager, and you've been hearing a lot about "empowering teams" and "decentralizing decision-making" lately. Do those terms make you anxious? Do they make you wonder, "What do I do now? Do I still have a job? Am I still important?" These are valid concerns, and you're not alone in having them. But let's dive deeper and address them head-on.
Firstly, why this shift towards empowerment and decentralization? As Peter Drucker, the legendary management consultant, once said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it." Empowering your team and decentralizing decisions is the modern way to shape the business's future. These methods give businesses agility, foster innovation, and ensure that the most hands-on people make the decisions that affect them the most. In a rapidly changing world, this is a competitive advantage.
But where does that leave you, the manager?
Instead of seeing yourself as the sole decision-maker, envision yourself as a mentor, guide, and facilitator. Ask yourself, "How can I create an environment where my team thrives?" Much like a conductor in an orchestra who doesn't play an instrument but ensures everyone else is in tune, your role becomes that of ensuring harmony, productivity, and growth. Isn’t that a vision worth embracing?
I once collaborated with a technical leader who had climbed the ranks due to his exceptional skills as a developer. Eventually, he found himself at the helm of multiple scrum teams, navigating a complex re-platforming initiative. With his consent, I would provide feedback whenever his suggestions seemed prescriptive, often leading him to shoulder the work independently. Over time, his impact burgeoned as he adopted a more thoughtful approach, allowing the team to devise the "how" while he remained engaged, albeit not overly so. The delicate balance tilted from assertiveness towards accommodation, yielding successful outcomes for the company quarter after quarter.
Learning to relinquish control in decision-making can initially feel like a loss of power. However, decentralization is not synonymous with disorder. It's about entrusting your team with the right tools and guidance, much like teaching someone to ride a bike. Initially, you provide stability, but eventually, you let go, watching them navigate independently. This transition fosters independence in your team, and a sense of pride in their accomplishments for you.
Stephen M.R. Covey highlights the essence of trust while explaining to a CFO in "The Speed of Trust," stating, “...we have one supplier in whom we have complete trust...But with another supplier, we have very little trust...And that’s costing us money—too much money!” This excerpt underscores trust as a cornerstone for efficient operations and reduced costs. Embracing trust through decentralization not only propels the organization forward but cultivates a mutually beneficial environment of accomplishment and growth for both the team and the leader.
Concerned about becoming redundant? This is the opportunity to proactively expand your skillset. Delve into strategic thinking, deepen your understanding of your industry, or explore new leadership techniques. There are numerous avenues to bolster your leadership skills, one subtle way could be enrolling in courses like Certified Agile Leadership which are tailored to enhance adaptability and leadership skills in a dynamic environment.
As Benjamin Franklin wisely put it, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." By investing in your growth, you not only bring unique value to your organization but also prepare yourself to thrive in a culture of decentralization.
Through continuous learning and adaptation, you position yourself as a catalyst for innovation and growth, essential in guiding your team toward achieving collective goals. Your journey of learning and adaptation will reflect in your leadership style, promoting a culture of trust, collaboration, and empowerment. So, as the reins of decision-making are shared, your enhanced leadership skills will ensure that the journey to achieving organizational goals is coherent, collaborative, and highly rewarding.
Decentralization, while promoting autonomy, can lead to silos if not managed adeptly. Your newfound role could pivot towards ensuring that various teams or members are interconnected and collaboratively engaged. Envision yourself as a tapestry weaver, where each thread, or team member, is indispensable. When orchestrated correctly, a beautiful, cohesive masterpiece emerges. This imagery resonates with Clayton M. Christensen's perspective: "Management is getting people together to figure out how to transform inputs into outputs. In the process of figuring out the process of how people work together, you've got to figure out who's got what responsibilities and how do they work together."
Transitioning from a traditional to a more collaborative leadership style is key in leveraging the collective prowess of teams. By redefining leadership roles and cultivating a collaborative ethos, leaders can ensure that decentralization morphs into an asset rather than a liability. This transformation converts individual expertise into collective genius, enabling the organization to adeptly navigate today's intricate business landscape, thereby rendering the process of transforming inputs into outputs more effective and innovative.
Feedback is crucial not only for your employees but for you as well. Adopting a stance of continuous learning and self-improvement serves well in enhancing performance and satisfaction levels. The ethos of feedback is encapsulated in "Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well" by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. They articulate, “Those who handle feedback more fruitfully have an identity story with a different assumption at its core...Inside a growth identity, feedback is valuable information about where one stands now and what to work on next. It is welcome input rather than upsetting verdict.”
Embedding this “growth” identity within your leadership approach can transition feedback from being a daunting verdict to a valuable insight. This perspective not only elevates personal and team performance but also cultivates a culture of open communication and continuous improvement, reinforcing a collaborative and progressive organizational environment.
Now, more than ever, your experience and expertise are invaluable. Be the beacon your team looks up to for advice, direction, and mentorship. Empowering them may also open your horizons to new insights from their fresh perspectives.
This shift from managing to coaching and mentoring is exemplified in my work with Norman Bodek on the Harada Method. It scales coaching, transitioning mindsets from traditional management to a nurturing approach. I witnessed organizations evolving from stagnation to thriving ecosystems of learning and growth. A notable example is Norman's student, Paul Akers, who propelled FastCap to industry leadership by continually evolving its management culture and adapting to market needs, showcasing the transformative power of embracing a coaching and mentoring paradigm.
But, you might think, *“Isn’t this all too idealistic? Can it really work?”*
To answer that, consider the famous examples of tech giants, like Google and Meta. They're known for their decentralized structure, allowing engineers and teams to work on projects they’re passionate about. Their managers aren’t sidelined; they play pivotal roles in fostering this innovative culture.
So, do you still have a job? Absolutely. Is your role still crucial? Without a doubt.
The shift towards empowerment and decentralization isn't a threat but an opportunity. It's a call for a new kind of leadership – one that’s more inclusive, visionary, and forward-thinking. Remember, in this new paradigm, your worth isn’t determined by the decisions you make but by how you enable others to make the best decisions. In the words of John Quincy Adams, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”
And leaders, as history has shown time and time again, are always invaluable. So, embark on this journey with optimism, embrace change, and carve out your new path in the empowering world of decentralized decision-making. The future, after all, is what you make of it.