A few months ago, my daughter Gabby bought a dresser from Ikea. When my wife and daughter brought it home, Gabby asked me if I could assemble it immediately,so I went to get the box out of the van to bring into the house. As I tried to pick up that oblong, seventy pound box of wooden shelving and frame, I realized very quickly that I was going to need some help.
The box was so tightly packed, it left no room for push-in handles like the ones many manufacturers have on computer boxes and had a waxy sheen on the cardboard surface, making it virtually impossible for me to properly grip and carry without risking a back injury or having it slip through my hands onto my feet.
I certainly wasn’t going to be able to take it from the garage to my daughter’s bedroom on the second floor. In frustration I thought to myself, “Why doesn’t the manufacturer just create a box with handles?” Then I thought it was probably because they didn’t want me to try to carry it myself; they wanted me to get help: It was designed so that it wouldn’t be picked up and carried by just one person.
Like that box, power of authority has been designed the same way. Having power over people as a manager, as a leader, as an owner is most effective when the one with the power is not trying to “carry” it by himself. Unfortunately, many people try as hard as they can to hold onto power by themselves.
The least effective managers, leaders and owners refuse to relinquish any of their power even as their arms ache and their fingers slowly slip from the waxy surface. They’re the type that micromanage every employee, fail to communicate, don’t provide guidance, tend to have high employee turnover and blame others for the mistakes. Ironically they act this way because they believe those actions will keep them empowered. Eventually, those actions are the reason they drop the box, they lose the power all because they tried to hold it by themselves.
The most effective leaders share their power. They tend to understand that power is a heavy, oblong, slippery surface of a box and can’t be properly held and controlled without the help of others. They also understand that by sharing power, the team becomes capable of achieving company goals far more quickly and effectively than any one person can accomplish individually.
One of the greatest inspirational speakers of our time, Zig Ziglar, often shared the story of the Belgian draft horse: A Belgian draft horse weighs about 3,000 pounds and stands about seven feet tall. Alone, the Belgian can pull 7000 pounds. Harness him to another Belgian and together they can pull 15,000 pounds (more than double). However, when they are taught to work together, they can pull up to 25,000 pounds (an additional 10,000 pounds). By working together as a team, the power the horses possess and the output they create multiply.
The most effective leaders understand this concept. By sharing their power, they create a team of capable, focused employees, all pulling together, creating a level of power and output that surpasses in multiples what they can do as individuals. In fact the best leaders give so much power away, many don’t even have their hands on the box -- they don’t need to carry or control the power. They have created something even greater: trust and teamwork. Now those are the values of real leadership.
By sharing power with the team, by letting your team help you carry that heavy, slippery, oblong box, you send the message that you trust the judgement of each and every one of your team members. Trust becomes the foundational value which then leads to a culture of open communication, sharing, mentorship, growth, clarity of vision, respect and a multiplicative effect on output.
Have you created a foundation of trust? Do you have a team that’s working together? If you don’t, this is what I suggest you do -- share more of the power. Empower the team by teaching them why they are doing what they are doing.
Communicate the objectives for the year, set goals that are truly measurable and realistic with each team member, meet one-on-one with each team member on a weekly basis and as a group. Keep everyone accountable and offer them the bigger picture as to why they are important to the group. Let each individual hold part of that box. Give them the power and you will discover that your job will get easier and more enjoyable as you grow as a leader and your team grows as a cohesive group.