Why is empowerment challenging? What can we do about it?

Our CEO Roland Busch announced 2–3 days working from anywhere. This caused a stir. People ask, if they’re supposed to be at the office 2–3 days or if it’s okay to come in once a week.

And I’m surprised. I also feel frustrated, because—what kind of system have we created where people can’t think for themselves anymore?

I was on a date recently. We debated whether to have hope in the future or not.I was pro human and pro future. He was also pro future, but not a very bright one.

And we debated the problematics of our system: “How can the system be the problem,” I asked,”It’s a product of its actors.” “But there are bigger actors, and smaller actors.” Point taken.

I felt uneasy. But I didn’t try to change that, because the reality we live in, isn’t as rosy as I try to paint it out to be. I’m coming to terms with that.

Still, I feel very strongly about personal responsibility. And that starts with selecting a company whose purpose I can identify with, who can have a positive impact on society. It’s one of the reasons why I chose to work at Siemens. And Siemens is a huge system actor. But that’s not it.

Personal responsibility doesn’t stop there.

How do I show up in the world? How do I interact with people? What’s my circle of influence? And what can I do to influence the levers that I have access to?

At work, this translates into asking myself what this project or team requires to succeed? If we all work towards a common goal and make it our personal duty to put that purpose and objective over one’s personal matters and agenda, then this future can be brighter. And this takes a conscious choice in doing so.

And I’m sure, many people, like me, don’t like to be micromanaged—I mean, no one tells you when to go to bed, or when to you refill your coffee?

I don’t like people interfering with my independence, and when they do it stifles me—I become codependent, like, I suddenly need them to tell me how to do everything. I think that happens because they’ve taken, or I’ve allowed them to take, authority over me. The aim becomes about pleasing that person instead of focusing on working towards a goal or purpose. It’s paralyzing.

I’m working on my next blogpost on finding our purpose based on my podcast conversation with Philip Horvath; and I can’t help but think that my message will require a big leap in thinking.

I imagine the conversation in the head of my audience to go as follows: “Ok, so you want people to find their purpose. I work in an environment where that’s starting to be discussed, but let’s be honest, a lot of that is hot air. Utopic. And besides, you can’t compare my life to that of an entrepreneur e.g. pursuing a bigger purpose. That’s not me.”

I think the reason we can’t engage with bigger purpose-thinking in life is because we’re not taking ownership for the small stuff in our lives, like—do I allow myself to decide whether to work 2-3 days from home, or do I expect my manager to tell me to do so?

I lead the change management for “New Work or Future of Work” at our business unit’s headquarters, and it’s really important to me that people understand that stepping into New Normal starts with a shift in mindset regarding empowerment—empowering ourselves but also others. We want to hold on to the flexibility of remote working, having lunch with our kids, taking walks outside, and spending more time with people we’ve lost a little bit of intimacy with because of our pre-covid hectic schedules. And we learned that we don’t need a manager leaning over our shoulders to get work done. But this requires self-management, taking more responsibility, stepping into our power.

How about asking people how they are planning their week, if you want to see them. How about we ask ourselves and our teams which activities should be done in person and which should be done remotely for the best outcome?

Project or team needs may differ from week to week. Let’s step into our power to make our own decisions. And we may make wrong decisions, sometimes. A little compassion and understanding goes a long way. No one is born flawless, let’s not forget.

The future is ours to shape. Day by day. Interaction by interaction. Each system actor is needed. To empower ourselves, is to contribute towards a brighter future. And I can see no purpose grander than that.

More power to you,

Helena

Hey everyone,

I hope you’re enjoying my series of posts about leadership. Maybe you have some great ideas for topics which you’d like to see covered here?

Let me know! I value your feedback and participation!