University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The 3 Keys to Empowerment
Book

The 3 Keys to Empowerment

Release the Power Within People for Astonishing Results

Didier Cossin, Ken Blanchard and Alan Randolph
Berrett-Koehler, 1999
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

The 3 Keys to Empowerment revisits the three keys discussed in another Blanchard book, Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute. These three keys are: share information with everyone, create autonomy through boundaries and let teams become the hierarchy. They should be applied to each of the three stages of moving toward empowerment. Many of the actions suggested for the initial stage: “Starting and Orienting the Journey,” are repeated in the discussions of the other stages, “Change and Discouragement” and “Adopting and Refining Empowerment.” The authors say some areas need repeated focus so readers can implement change. Unfortunately, this is repetitive. The book’s most useful feature is the Empowerment Action Plan, a clear, easy to follow list of specific actions leaders can take at each stage of the journey to empowerment. getAbstract advises CEOs and senior executives to pick up this book.

Summary

Making the Change to Empowerment

Many worthwhile reasons impel the effort to change to empowerment. Your customers expect high quality, low prices and excellent service. You must manage these pressures to make a profit. Global competition and new technology mean that what was outstanding last year may be merely ordinary this year. Today’s work force is also different. Employees’ enormous potential for growth and development is coupled with their impatience to control their own fates. To get people to put forth their best efforts, trust must be developed between team members and leaders.

The culture of empowerment is hard to create. There is no turning back once you start. Powerful internal forces for change will mandate that team leaders and members adopt empowerment (or seek new jobs).

Empowerment

With empowerment, leaders can utilize the skills, knowledge, experience and motivation of their entire work force. Empowerment, which places high expectations on people, is not "soft management." Team members welcome the added responsibility because they get to share growth, ownership and involvement. Sadly, not enough leaders understand how to create a culture...

About the Authors

Ken Blanchard, Ph.D., is a best-selling author, speaker, and business consultant. He co-authored the classic book, The One Minute Manager. His companies, Blanchard Solutions and Blanchard Training and Development Inc., have worked with many Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing entrepreneurial enterprises.

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