Enabling Others to Act Consists of… Facilitating employee performance by removing obstacles, fostering collaboration, and empowering.
Foster Collaboration (chapter 9) 2 essentials [1] Create a climate of trust [2] Facilitate relationships
How Leaders Create a Climate of Trust Be the first to trust Be open to influence Share information and resources
Leaders go first = Leaders trust first Trusting first entails being “vulnerable” by sharing personal values, aspirations, experiences, strengths, and weaknesses Trusting first entails being “vulnerable” by letting go of some control
Being open to influence involves seeking out ‘local’ experts and learning from them – often these individuals are your direct reports Being open to influence involves making use of employees’ abilities and skills; integrating them more fully into the processes and decisions of work
How does being ‘open to influence’ make for a more effective leader?
Resources and information are sources of power … by sharing these with employees, you demonstrate that you believe in your employees and their ability and willingness to use information and resources effectively and responsibly
Facilitate Relationships Develop cooperative goals and roles Support norms of reciprocity Structure projects to promote joint effort
Often employees operate on individual- based goals and are rewarded accordingly - these two aspects are antithetical the fostering of collaboration
Often norms of reciprocity are short-term in nature, especially when we do not know team members well Leaders setting a tone for long-term reciprocity leads to relationship building among team members and their willingness to sustain collaboration over time and events