Last week in HED 201 we discussed the concept of empowerment. What does it mean to empower someone? Basically, when we empower people, we are giving them power. In this blog I will be discussing what you should believe, what you can do and reasons people do not empower others. Lets start to understand empowerment through some basic definitions:
-Empowerment: to enable others (through trust and clear instructions)
-Motivation: an incentive or move to action
-Recognition: recognizing good things
-Praise: recognized for good work
-Appreciation: to thank others for the contribution
There are several things an individual should take into consideration when they choose to empower people. It is safe to assume that others may be better at something than you are. You should welcome the opportunity for others to thrive. Everyone has a different way of doing things; this does not make it wrong. Lastly, learn something new and give some power to others. So what do you need to do in order to start empowering others? Start by making a decision on what power you would like to give to others, and then trust them to do something with it.
Some reasons why people don’t empower others:
- Fear
- Loss of Control
- Loss of Trust
- Won’t be done the way you want it to be done
Whatever the reason, people will choose not to empower others in many situations. As individuals begin to develop a fear of empowering others, they stop making the effort. This can and usually leads to a loss of control with in the group. Once the control has been lost, Trust quickly goes out the window. After all this, many people just settle down with the basic statement, “Wow, they are not going to be able to do this as well as I would.” When this happens, inclusion and spreading out the tasks has become very limited and difficult.
As I relate my personal ability to empower others to my daily life, I can see that I have several opportunities to empower those around me. In class, I was able to empower my INDV and Blue Chip partners to contribute in both of my research papers. Through SWES Club, as Treasurer, It is my duty to empower the members of this club to get involved and learn from the situations that are present at hand. Either way I choose to empower people, I know that it will benefit them. I have been empowered by several people over the course of my life; those moments of empowerment were times that I was able to succeed in an opportunity. Having people support you in whatever you embark upon, will in turn have a more positive effect on you than those who choose to only view the negative side of life.
