Gratitude Filled Leadership: Empowerment

Gratitude Filled Leadership (GFL)

This is another story in the journey towards Gratitude Filled Leadership. My mentor in this case was "Tator".

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of theories on leadership. Yet I believe the acquired experiential skills are the most impactful and powerful. My previous posts on GFL highlighted moments when my style of leadership took a turn toward greater effectiveness because of witnessing or being directly involved in a transformational leadership technique. This one is no different. It is important to revisit such microcosm in time to see why we were so affected. And from that deeper dive we grow and are able to add to our leadership toolbox.

Empowerment rarely comes from within. It is usually cognitive, or in rare cases arrives in the form of a spiritual awakening. Powerful leaders I have known have provided me examples that I sometimes missed and thus I'm unable to analyze why I changed as a result. In this particular case my memory is vivid and the events seem like yesterday.

I was a young naval aviator assigned to a squadron that provided fleet services including simulating the air threats from potential adversaries. In this particular case, my commander assigned me as the "commander" of about 50 adversary aircraft from different services. This exercise was the largest annual training in the Pacific theater and simulated, although the missions were live with real military assets, the defense of an allied nation. I was thrilled to be given that responsibility. But that thrill was soured by the complaints of the more senior officers who didn't particularly like the amount of work that was involved in what we were doing. I was feeling the stress of their criticism. One late afternoon as we rode the bus back to our quarters the complaining started again and my head was hanging low. My commanding officer was on that ride back. When we arrived he pulled me aside and said, "I put you in charge because I trust you. You are well ahead of those other guys and you're doing a great job. Because I have empowered you with this responsibility I want you to tell them exactly what you want done." Whew, what a new beginning!

What's to learn here? He laid out his expectations and granted me authority to get them done however I saw fit. Instead of being put into an arena of mistake intolerance he essentially told me to get the job done using my initiative and innovation. The envelope was mine to push. That didn't mean dropping his name as a power tool; I still had to lead and that didn't mean acting like a tyrant. Yet the empowering effect was calming and gave me focus.

Since that pull-aside from "Tator" I've realized the importance of making expectations clear and then setting those you trust free to get the job done. Risks? Yes, but the rewards of watching leaders grow around me was amazing. Empower, set free and watch what happens. Thank you "Tator" for your trust and confidence! Others have benefited incredibly from the leadership skills you sparked in me.