Empowerment (matching authority to accountability). Examples of Empowerment principles....

• When we ask things of others (whether new commitments or changes to existing commitments):
  • We ask people for and measure deliverables (results), not tasks, processes, and effort.
    • We base the magnitude and complexity of the deliverable on the degree of confidence people have earned. I.e., if we lack confidence in people's ability to do big projects, we empower them in smaller chunks rather than micro-manage them.

    • We define the results we measure broadly, to include not only the intended outcomes but also unintended consequences (i.e., "leaving dead bodies in your path" is another form of result).

    • We clearly define in advance any constraints that limit how the work is to be done.

    • To the extent that we constrain how the work is to be done (methods, processes, tools), we accept shared accountability for results.

  • We provide the resources, authorities, and information needed to deliver the agreed results.
    • We negotiate fairly to be sure they willingly agree to the terms; we don't coerce them into accepting impossible assignments. (This isn't meant to constrain a supervisor's ability to make work assignments; it says that supervisors don't use their positional power to force subordinates to accept accountability without authority. If an employee doesn't agree to a reasonable assignment, it should be treated as a performance problem, not as a reason to disempower and set the employee up to fail.)

  • We offer support and coaching (mentoring) without dictating tasks or overriding decisions (which would imply reassuming accountability)
  • When we do so, we make it absolutely clear that our advice is not a command.