A520.7.3.RB – An Empowerment Example
Describe a time when you have been empowered to accomplish
something. Reflect on how others supported you and how the endeavor was
accomplished. How can you apply those lessons to your own followers?
When you hear the word empowerment what do you think
of? For many it may mean to have power
or control over others. This comes with
titles like supervisor, manager, or boss.
However, empowerment is more than just a fancy title or position. Whetten and Cameron state to empower means to
enable (Whetten & Cameron, 2016, pg 367).
Within this is to develop your self-confidence and overcome feelings of
powerlessness and helplessness. To be
empowered does not mean just having power.
Empowerment is a concept or theory which one must accept based on
circumstances which are created where you feel the drive and desire to
accomplish tasks.
As a career Airman in the Unites States Air Force I have
been in many situations where I was empowered.
A good example of one situation was my first trip as a flying crew
chief. Prior to becoming a flying crew
chief I had gone on several trips and deployments. While I was on these trips I was normally
with several other aircraft maintainers.
I would be with other specialties and I would always have a higher
ranking person who was in charge during these trips. This meant there was always someone else who
made the decisions and all of the tough calls while we were away from home station.
When I became a flying crew chief however, things
changed. I was now expected to be the
one who was in charge. I had to make all
the calls while on trips away from my home station. While I was on these trips I was the one who
was in charge of all aspects of the maintenance of the aircraft. I had to update the statuses, make all the
required servicing, call any issues into the command post, and coordinate any
specialist work with the base we were at and many other maintenance
requirements. During my first trip I was
very nervous. I was afraid I would not know what to do or who to call if I need
any help. I was also afraid that due to
my rank (only a Staff Sergeant) I would not be taken seriously by other bases
servicing personnel or higher headquarters when I made the required
notifications. However, when it came
time for me to do the things required they all went off without any issues. The text disusses the five core dimensions of
empowerment (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).
Included in these are self-efficacy, self-determination, personal
consequence, meaning, and trust. I think
that I was successful as a flying crew chief because y training and leadership
had provide me with an environment which embraced all five of these
dimensions. The fact that my supervision
would put me on an aircraft alone and trust me to be able to handle whatever
issues may come up was very beneficial for my self-efficacy. My leadership knew I was competent enough to
accomplish all the required tasks and this definitely help my confidence. Knowing that when I was on these trips I was
the one who made all the calls was very good for my self-determination. As long as the work was getting done I could
accomplish it however I wanted to. My supervision
was not going to be questioning my every move.
This made me feel very free and independent while I was gone. When it comes to personal consequence I was
the one who was going to make the mission a success or failure. If I could not accomplish the required
maintenance actions and ensure the aircraft was ready to fly then we would not
complete the required mission. Therefore
anytime I was flying with my aircraft if we completed the mission I felt a big
sense of accomplishment and result. The same
holds true for meaning. If I was in
charge of keeping the airplane flying and it flew than there was meaning in my
work. My crew was also very appreciative
of me being able to keep the aircraft flying.
Trust was the most important part of me being a flying crew chief. Both my maintenance supervision as well as
the pilots and crew I would fly with trusted in me to keep the aircraft safe
and ready to fly when called upon. This was
very important for me and greatly increased my sense of empowerment.
For me this experience taught me a good deal in how to
embrace and encourage empowerment. Now that
I am in a more supervisory position it is important for me to have trust in
those who I am trying to empower. I must
first create an environment where those I supervise are trained and adequately
prepared to complete the assigned tasks.
Once I feel they have been trained and are ready I must let them make
decisions and take actions for those tasks. I feel like I was set up and
empowered for my experiences on the flight line. As a leader know I have to ensure I am not
trying to micromanage and get in the way of those who are trying to complete
their tasks. I will be there if they
need help or guidance but when it comes to making decisions and completing
their tasks I must enable them to take care of them the way they want to and
help only when needed.
Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing
management skills,
9th ed.
Boston, MA: Pearson.
No comments:
Post a Comment