Empowerment to Emancipation

We all look to create empowered teams. Teams that seek to continuously improve our products/services, teams that innovate new ideas, and teams that make impacts on the world. But do we?

Recently I finished L. David Marquet's book, "Turn the Ship Around". Within the book, Marquet discusses what he calls "mechanisms" for control, competence, and clarity. The mechanisms Marquet describes center around developing the Follower (read: employee, team member) into a Leader. Throughout the book, we see these mechanisms employed and a marked improvement in team effectiveness; but, it's the end of the book that truly piqued my interest. 

If we consider empowerment an authority to do something given by something else, have we really created an engaged and effective team? A team that innovates, self regulates, and drives change? At the end of the day, their ability to do so is derived from power/authority given to the team by their leader; in essence, the leader-follower model is maintained. Marquet contends that rather leaders divest their the idea that the leader is empowering the team and rather "recognize the inherent genius, energy, and creativity in all people, and allow those talents to emerge." 

Reflecting on my own efforts as a team leader, I agree with Marquet's point of view. The teams I've supported were given a wide berth to do what was needed in order to achieve outcomes and encouraged to develop their competencies through any and all means necessary. The teams led initiatives, negotiated agreements, established new relationships, facilitated/innovated new ideas, and executed on functions/ideas that were above their "pay grade" but did so not because they were told, but because they wanted to be own, and contribute towards, the team's success. Looking at my own opportunity for improvement, I would want to create an emancipated team that leveraged their genius, energy, and creativity to create a world where people are happier and more fulfilled.