How Do You Give Power Through Responsibility?

A manager empowers others by giving them a clear understanding of the responsibilities of the job. Job responsibilities define the work people must do in order to achieve success. A manager has more power to achieve his own objectives when the people who work for him know what they must do to achieve success.

The very first and perhaps the most important thing you can do to give people power is to tell them what they are supposed to do. There can be no success unless you clearly explain to people what is expected of them. Sound simple? You say, of course your people know what their jobs are. They knew that before you hired them.

A reflection on your own career might cause you to ponder this issue a bit more carefully. How many times have you been caught in a trap because your understanding of what you were to do was different from your boss’ understanding of it? Your sterling performance was all for naught simply because it was not the performance your boss was looking for. Or perhaps you got reprimanded for failing to do something simply because you didn’t know it was your responsibility in the first place.

When people don’t have a clear understanding of their responsibilities, confusion abounds. Time is wasted and energy is dissipated by anxiety and doubt. People spend much of their time second-guessing the boss, wondering if they are going in the right direction. Without a clear definition of their responsibilities, people are like ships at sea without compasses.

Do clearly defining responsibilities inhibits creativity and stifles initiative? Advocates of a laissez-faire style of management may argue that clearly defining responsibilities inhibits creativity and stifles initiative. By providing people with little or no direction, they believe they are fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. While this style of management may work in some situations, most people need boundaries and a very clear job description. Otherwise, they will fill in the gaps by inventing a job for themselves or modifying the job to suit their purposes.

Too little structure keeps people from using their power effectively. By having a clear definition of their responsibilities, people are able to focus all their energies on getting the job done instead of wondering what the job is, or working on the wrong activities. The more focused they are, the greater the power they have to achieve success. Learn more about giving power through responsibility only at the University Canada West, one of the best universities in Canada, offering various business and management related programs.

Tim Scott is an expert author and writer who pleased the world with his writeup. He also blogs for their Fans and followers and provide the solution of their query, with this blog he wants to share his knowledge.