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VOLUME 3
CAREER ASSET
MANAGEMENT,
TEAMWORK AND
EMPOWERMENT

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE

Commonsense Leadership in the Workplace
� � B Y H A R R Y T. R O M A N � �
Copyright © 2016 by IEEE-USA and Harry T. Roman All rights reserved.

Published and Hosted by IEEE-USA.

Copying this material in any form is not permitted without prior written approval from
IEEE/IEEE-USA.

Edited by Georgia C. Stelluto, IEEE-USA Publishing Manager

Cover design and layout by Spark Design

This IEEE-USA publication is made possible through funding by a special dues assessment
of IEEE members residing in the United States.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Career Asset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Watch Those Teams! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Tying It All Together with Empowerment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 1

INTRODUCTION

T
here is no greater responsibility in the workplace than being a leader/
manager, in charge of developing employees — for you will shape their
careers, and help them realize their dreams. In this three-volume e-book
series, we explore common sense ways to guide employees, as they grow.

This information is based on 36+ years in business, managing and leading

employees, as well as leading numerous interdisciplinary project teams.
Often, I derived this wisdom from fellow IEEE members — who have served
as my bosses, co-workers and long-time friends. In passing these insights
along to you, I hope you derive as much pleasure and satisfaction from
them, as I have experienced doing them.

The volumes in this trilogy are:

Volume 1-Key Skills Employees Will Need

Volume 2-Employee Development Strategies

Volume 3-Career Asset Management, Teamwork and Empowerment

Enjoy reading Volume 3 — now here before you. Volumes 1 and 2 are
already available.

~Harry T. Roman

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 2

CAREER ASSET MANAGEMENT

C
ompanies today have experienced downsizing and many corporate
reorganizations, due to global competition and competitiveness in
the Information Age. We hear much discussion about putting the
right people in the right places within an organization, and achieving a
team-based approach to problem-solving.

We also hear quite a bit about how employees must take charge of their
career development, being mindful that their ultimate destiny depends
upon themselves, not their companies. Employee responsibility for career
development is a real change from what happened 30 years ago in
American industry. Talking about it is one thing — but actually expecting
your staff to respond to it — is quite another...

These days, senior management does desire to make their employees respon-
sible for a good portion of their professional development needs. They reason
that the salaries they are paying cover not only what their employees are
doing, but also to help them be prepared to meet the job’s future challenges.
So, on top of the normal continuing education that an employee needs or
receives for the regular conduct of work-related activities, managers need to
teach employees how best to prepare for their futures.

Being prepared for your future career progression is referred to as career

asset management. Since your career is your earning power for paying back
your debts and financing your retirement, it is perfectly logical to think of it
as an asset. Humans protect their worldly assets, their houses, their fam-
ilies. Why not protect their earning power and their careers? With many
companies cutting back their human relations and employee development
departments, training budgets tend to be very localized, and somewhat
reduced in size and scope from what they once were. More responsibility
falls on the shoulders of departmental managers and their staffs. It is up to
employees and managers to talk about, and perhaps plan, for employees’
futures — but the bulk of the responsibility rests with the employees. The
best thing managers can do is teach the employees a logical and worthwhile
process they can use to prepare for their career future, because the future
may not be with the company they are now working for. Experts believe
many employees will actually have three to four jobs during their working
careers. The process of identifying, assessing and planning an overall career
direction becomes an important personal exercise — for all employees.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 3

This section uses excerpted information from IEEE’s Career Asset Management
(CAM) tool, which I helped to develop. It is a seven-step process for disci-
plining users to ask the right questions, to develop plans for where they want
their careers to go, and how to map out a strategy for getting there. It is an
excellent, computer-based program you can use with your employees. This
tool is pure process. The real work begins when employees sit down, and
start to ask serious questions about where they want to go with their careers.
As their leader, you must motivate them to think about their futures — and be
ready to ask the tough questions. Growth is always a series of tough choices,
and CAM is a great way to make those choices within a logical, concise and
user-friendly framework.

Your employees must first understand that their personal goals drive their
careers. No universal answers or quick remedies for career growth will
magically appear. The whole process starts with an honest assessment of
what they want to do with their careers, and their lives. Anyone can change
their career at any time. The choice is theirs to make. CAM is a process
that helps you ask the right questions. Teach your employees to take the
time to ask the important and comprehensive questions, because as Henry
David Thoreau said: “In the long run, you hit only what you aim at.”

Now, taking all of this information into consideration, here are the seven
steps in the CAM process:

1. Research Career Opportunities

2. Identify & Define Personal Career Goals

3. Do Self-Assessment

4. Analyze Gap

5. Develop Plan & Identify Actions

6. Implement Plan

7. Re-Evaluate & Re-Assess

Steps 1 and 2 set the tone for a career. Steps 3, 4 and 5 involve active
career planning. Steps 6 and 7 are concerned with the plan’s implementa-
tion. Now as a basic guide, let’s take a brief look at what goes on in each
of these steps. In the following discussion, I shall use the pronoun “you,”
to mean both you and your collective group of employees, because it is

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 4

my hope in this section to get you (their leaders and managers), thinking
about your careers, as well. It is through a motivated “you” that they will
see the virtues of carefully monitoring and periodically assessing the goals
and directions of their own careers.

1. Research Career Opportunities

Have you taken the time to think very basically about your career? Where
do you want to work? Who do you want to work for? What things interest
you? Where are the hot topics in your field today? What level of salary and
benefits are you seeking? Often, we take these basic questions for granted,
but they are fundamental to the career you are planning. There is much
more competition for jobs today; and that competition comes in the form
of what you want to do, and what you can expect to be paid for doing it.

It starts with basic questions about where you want to work, and who you
want to work for, because companies are managed differently. It’s no differ-
ent than when you took those first interviews for a job. You had to decide
what you wanted to do with your life. It’s no different when managing your
career. Your wants and desires will change as you age, and different things
will appeal to, or alienate, you at different times on the job. Take a fresh
look every time you analyze your career, no matter how much it hurts.

2. Identify & Define Personal Career Goals

Now you must get to the point of envisioning what it is you want to do and
where you want to be in the future. What kinds of things do you like to
do? Where do you want to be in the next, say, three years? Five years? 10
years? These are tough questions to ask, indeed. Has there been a trend
to your career that you want to continue? Or are you going to strike out in
a new direction? Are you satisfied with the traditional work you are doing?
Or do you wish to pursue other avenues — perhaps management, for
example? Many experienced workers in industry have begun to think about
starting their own businesses. Is this something that appeals to you? Are
you the type of person that wants to tackle the consulting field? Is climbing
the corporate ladder appealing to you? These direction-setting questions
will lock you into a course of action. Consider them very carefully.

3. Do Self-Assessment

Looking inward at this step, you must identify and assess the skills and knowl-
edge that you now possess, taking stock of the resources at your command.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 5

Here is where you establish the baseline for what you have already accumu-
lated from your career, and determine your current job satisfaction level. The
best way to accomplish this accounting of professional assets and skills is to
document major accomplishments, so you can conveniently refer to them. In
many ways, this step is quite similar to writing a resume. You arrange your
work and accomplishments in an orderly fashion, so that a reviewer can look
at what you have done, and determine if you are a fit with their company.
Here, you are both the resume writer and the reviewer.

What have you done with your career up to now, and what do you offer?
It’s an honest self-assessment. And the more time you have taken to docu-
ment your skills and accomplishments, the better prepared you are to move
through this time-consuming step. A word of advice — always document
your achievements and major accomplishments. You will need to refer to
them sooner than you think. If there is one way to accurately measure your
growth, it is here. You are always judged by your accomplishments.

4. Analyze Gap

You are now ready to confront and compare the present skills you have
accumulated, with the future skills you are going to need — to meet the
personal career goals you have considered in the previous steps. This
step is critical, because to do it accurately, you must do your homework
to understand what attaining your future goals will require in skill levels.
Further, once you understand these new levels, you must analyze the dif-
ferences — and then determine how you are going to bridge the gap you
are facing to make the transition.

This step is tough, and it may diminish your spirit for the process somewhat,
but it is absolutely essential for your career. It is much like the process you
face at work — when your boss reviews your work for the year, and then
makes recommendations for changes that will improve your effectiveness. The
difference is here, you are evaluating yourself, and getting ready to determine
what you require to move up to your next learning experience.

5. Develop Plan & Identify Actions

Now, you set a plan in place to make the transition you have defined. Develop
a detailed plan of action for yourself, much like you would for an engineering
project, or launching a new product. Be specific about what it is you hope to
accomplish, and the milestones you want to achieve. Set all your steps down
on paper, and make it a formal schedule. Measure your progress, as you move

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 6

through the plan. This document becomes your personal road map — and is
your baseline and defining document for your personal success.

6. Implement Plan

Be relentless in pursuing the plan. Take the identified courses and educa-
tional curricula that you have defined as necessary to the attainment of
your goals. Seek out the people, places and sources of information you have
specified as being important to furthering your career. Review the literature,
and stay on top of what is going on in the field. Stay connected with, or join
a professional affiliation, and delve into the rich literature and networking
relationships that professional associations have to offer. Make something
happen at this stage. Be tenacious and stick to your commitments. Reward
yourself when you have accomplished a major milestone. Always move for-
ward. Be true to your goals. Stay the course.

7. Re-evaluate & Re-assess

All plans need flexibilty. Things change, assumptions become invalid, tech-
nology moves forward — and the playing field constantly evolves. Develop
contingency plans for the possibility of changes midway through your plan.
Monitor and assess industry shifts. Keep doing your homework. Re-assess
your personal growth, and make sure your planned goals are still valid.
Review these goals for relevance; and if necessary, modify them and con-
tinue your forward progress. Stay in touch with the industry and your
personal needs. This step is the continuous improvement phase of your
process. Return to step 1 as often as you need to, and begin the process
over again.

CAM is not an easy process. It never is when you challenge the basic
assumptions about who you are, and what you want to do with your life. But
after all, it is your life — and no one is better qualified to answer the ques-
tions than you. In the final analysis, CAM is a discipline for asking the right
questions; and discipline is what ultimately separates the good performers
from the mediocre ones. The key is to get the discipline early in your life.
Use it to guide your career where you want it to go, not where the ebb and
flow of a profession may take it. Here are some words from George Bernard
Shaw to guide you: “I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get
ahead in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances
they want, and if they can’t find them, they make them.”

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 7

Make your own circumstances and opportunities by using the CAM process to
carefully plan for them. Employees who can make tough choices about their
careers and personal growth are much more likely to be able to make tough,
on-the-job decisions, as well. Using a process like CAM also builds character.
Help your employees understand CAM’s logic and intent. And don’t forget to
use it yourself. Set the example.

I can’t resist one more quote a co-worker was always fond of using: “If you
don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 8

WATCH THOSE TEAMS!

P
eople want to be recognized for their achievements. They will strive to
be the best they can, if their leaders trust them, and the environment
is conducive. Actually running the race is a high achiever’s addiction,
with the outcome and any rewards being the icing on the cake. The race is
the “rush.”

Teams sometimes tend to average down high achievers, restraining their

high energy and tremendous momentum. It is the high performer’s “can-
do” spirit that re-energizes today’s evolving companies. Nailing high
performers down to the consensual formalities of a relatively slow-moving
team can shackle your race horses, just when you need them the most.
When carried too far, your race horses will leave for greener pastures
— and your competitors’ stables. There is one way to cure the problem:
Put the race horses in charge of the teams, and let them set a fast pace.
Unfortunately, all too often, just the opposite occurs — the race horses are
subdued — and that’s why this section is important. If teams are to work
to your company’s benefit, they must be carefully monitored, to make sure
the high energy that will inspire them is not frittered away — on formali-
ties, endless discussions, and wrangling among team members.

The composition and assignment of teams within companies does vary

quite a bit. Teams can involve dedicated assignments of individuals for set
periods of time. They can also be part of a matrix assignment, along with
an individual’s other regular functions. From my own experience, I prefer
the matrix style of assignment. It tends to give workers some variety, often
allowing them to intellectually shift gears a bit between subject matter.
Teams that have a tedious assignment — with the same old faces, day
in and day out, can quickly become stale — if their team leader does not
maintain a proper working environment. Burnout can occur, and both the
team and individuals suffer greatly, even to the extent of damaging future
working relationships between team members.

Professionals want to be involved in a learning environment. They expect

mentoring, with the opportunity to stretch out in new directions. Working
on a team can give them the uneasy sense of being confined to only
one backyard, when they have an irresistible urge to roam around and
cross-pollinate — something you really want in a dynamic and challenging
market. The hybrid ideas are generally the strongest and the best.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 9

Teams may often appear as dead-ends for individuals who want to prog-
ress up the corporate ladder. Perceived intellectual confinement diminishes
their spirit and energy. High achievers learn and perform best when they
move from place to place, bringing fresh perspectives to wherever they
land. Growth is paramount. Mismanaged teams are anathema to these high
performers. The last thing you want to do is make your race horses rest-
less. Focus their intense energy. Make them the dynamic energy, for key
teams. It is far better to lose the low performers who cannot keep up with
the pace set by achievers, than it is to lose your superior race horses, and
always come in last — behind the pack.

Having discussed the importance of the high achiever on teams, let’s take
a look at some other issues that need you need to monitor, when you have
teams reporting to, or working for, you.

Planning

For a team to be successful, the members must feel they truly own the prob-
lem, and have control over the solution. You must give the team adequate
time to understand the problem and its ramifications, and to plan its solu-
tion. The team is in control of the speed of the solution, not an unreasonable
time schedule imposed from above. If you have taken the time to assemble
what you feel are experts who can solve an important problem, trust them
to do the job you feel they are eminently qualified to do. If you rush them
for the sake of meeting a timeline, they will only go through the motions —
and paper reports will be the team’s only real output, as they constantly run
in circles to meet deadlines. They most certainly will not solve the identified
problems — they will be too busy justifying their existence.

If you cannot plan ahead for the time your team needs to prepare for the
solution, then it is better not to assemble the team. It will not succeed.
Teams must have the freedom to tell their managers and leaders what is
not possible. And you, as their leader, must have the maturity and wisdom
to listen to them; and if necessary, tell your boss when something cannot
be done. The astute leader knows the real risk of assembling teams. It
means having the courage to give up some authority, and listen to what
your experts are telling you. Are you strong enough to handle a develop-
mental challenge like this? Are you willing to give up some authority to your
experts? Do you see how this team experience can grow your employees?
Give the team time to plan out their work. If you start from a bad founda-
tion, the house you build will shake with the slightest corporate breezes.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 10

Expertise

Ideally, for a team to succeed there must be the requisite native expertise
available among the team members. If not, they should be grounded in
some basic level of understanding, which might take a little time to accom-
plish. If team members are forced to communicate from vastly different
levels of understanding, they’ll spend a great deal of time arguing about
what things mean, and explaining details to people. The learning environ-
ment can be compromised under such conditions. There must be a level
of common understanding going into the team project. Choose the right
people for the job. Bring them up to speed together, so they can work at
their best. A team that learns together will develop strong bonds.

Consensus

After working on many teams and leading a number of them, I am not so

sure consensus is always the best way to make team decisions. If some
members don’t have the same level of expertise, and you don’t intend to
bring them up to the same level as the others, then maybe the experts
should make the decision about expert matters. A simple majority vote
may promote a consensus of those not as skilled, and jeopardize the proj-
ect. Having been on several teams where the projects went awry because
of technical ignorance, I can truthfully say I do favor the experts making
the expert decisions. In those ill-fated teams, a majority of the members
just did not have the technical horsepower to make the right decisions,
out-voted the experts, and the projects crashed. In one team, the project
manager was technically illiterate, insisted on overruling everyone, and
destroyed the team through poor leadership.

It would be wonderful to think that each team member could make pre-
sentations to convince the other team members about the best way to
proceed, and everything would be wonderful. Generally, teams don’t work
this way. They just don’t have that much time available to make decisions.
Management will impose deadlines they expect to be met with regularity.
The talking must stop, and the work must be conducted, if anyone is going
to make headway. This area is difficult for team leaders to control. It takes
infinite patience, and a leader with excellent communication skills, to break
these logjams. Work at this problem. Don’t let the loudmouths dominate
the team’s consensus atmosphere. Put an end to such behavior quickly,
even if it means sometimes acting like a referee.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 11

Titles

Very often, team members with different ranks and titles will all be serv-
ing on the same team. This situation can create a de facto pecking order,
where there shouldn’t be any. Lower-level personnel may feel intimidated,
and not speak up — jeopardizing the team by not contributing what might
be important information. Some companies have tried to level the team
playing field, by giving all team members a common rank — like “associ-
ate,” or other generic title. These “ranks” can be quite upsetting to some
team members, who have already distinguished themselves through years
of hard work, and have garnered recognition for their accomplishments.
Such concerns can seriously hamper team performance, and create ani-
mosities between more experienced and less experienced team members.

The team leader must resolve these potential problems early. You should
expect more from your senior, more experienced team members. And they
should have the maturity to accept the roles the company has chosen for
them. You need to make them understand that leaders start out as fol-
lowers; and on the team, they are all starting as followers. These senior
people can be a wonderful source of inspiration for the other team mem-
bers. They can be the nourishment that will feed a young employee, and
start them on their career path. Use your senior-level people well, and
explain their important roles on the team — as both workers and mentors.
Don’t let rank and ego compromise your team mission.

Professional Development

Many times, I have heard team members complain about losing their edge
and their sense of professionalism, while on a team. If they have come
from a company’s hands-on functional or operating unit, the team set-
ting may seem agonizingly slow for them. They probably prefer the action
of the field, with the need to adapt quickly, and learn on the spot. Team
environments crowd their style — forcing them to roost, when they would
rather fly. In the field, they were respected for their technical talents; and
here in a team setting, the status quo might seem too political for them.
For them, growth is synonymous with action.

I have known engineers who have been recycled from one team to another
— who burned out and left the company. They felt as though their techni-
cal and professional development was non-existent. A feeling of non-growth
is a serious demotivator. Professional organizations also worry about their
employees becoming unmotivated — because it makes their members less

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 12

likely to participate in professional activities — if companies send negative
signals to the employees about the value of professional development.

Try handling this situation by balancing your team members’ professional

development. Let them take time for formal professional courses and activi-
ties — both in the skills they will need on the team, and in the areas that keep
them current in the field they came from. This compromise seems to be fair —
incorporating two kinds of learning and skill development. Encourage them to
stay active in their professional organizations. You might also schedule some
team relaxation time, where members can make presentations about their
areas of technical expertise, and thereby educate other team members. Some
very useful cross-pollination could result from these relaxed forums.

As a leader, you should also be active in a professional organization. A little

example here couldn’t help but be insightful to your team members. Pass
on your profession’s journals, newsletters and magazines for others to glance
through. Mention it when appropriate, and certainly talk about it in a pos-
itive light, when the annual review comes up for your employees. Make
them understand that professional growth doesn’t stop when an assign-
ment changes.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 13

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
WITH EMPOWERMENT

T
his concluding section ties together much of what we have discussed
into a hierarchy of leadership and trust — the ultimate foundation of
employee development. Empowerment is still a powerful concept in
today’s workplace. It means giving the decision-making to the people who
know the work the best — those that actually perform it. It also means
giving them the responsibility and authority to do the work, as well as the
necessary resources to make sure it gets done. For those employees who
have the drive to achieve, empowerment is wonderful. But it can be intim-
idating, at first, for those not used to making decisions; or who don’t know
how, without direction.

What makes an employee feel empowered? Here are eight components

necessary for empowerment to be successful:

1. Trust

2. Delegated Authority

3. Leadership Motivation

4. Upward Communication

5. Creative Working Environment

6. Professional Development

7. Resources

8. Reward and Recognition

Think of them arranged from bottom to top, in a hierarchy — with 1 at the

bottom, and 8 at the top. A recurrent theme in empowerment, and one
woven through this entire discussion, is leadership. You might say it is the
“heartbeat” of empowerment. Leaders make empowerment work. They are
the ones who can give life to the term through example, and through their
dual responsibility to teach as much as they direct. Leaders connect their
employees to the world; and by doing so, point out the relevance of indi-
vidual work to the goals, mission and vision of the corporation.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 14

For empowerment to work, today’s managers must change as much as
the employees. It’s a two-way street. The best managers are the complete
managers, those having both excellent management and leadership skills
in their repertoires. Following is a description of the eight components that
can make people feel empowered:

1. Trust

The most fundamental feeling an empowered employee can experience is

trust. It is the bedrock on which any employee-boss relationship must be
built. If it is not there, a weak foundation will result, and there will be no
empowerment — in fact, there won’t be anything.

Trusted employees know they can act independently, without a “Nervous

Nelly” constantly looking over their shoulders, or without having to work
under the stress of constantly being second-guessed. Chances are that when
trusted, employees return the gesture in kind, and trust their bosses. In
actuality, with a component of trust, employees begin to see their bosses not
just as managers, but also as leaders; generating the cohesiveness of the
groups or teams. People who are trusted are not likely to betray that trust.
Most will go out of their way to show that they are deserving of it.

Too often, in our attempts to force corporate re-engineering, through “right-

sizing,” and other “leaning” exercises, we have destroyed the basic trust
people have in their managers and leaders. We cannot be competitive in
world markets, if we don’t trust each other at the most basic levels. It can
take years to rebuild lost trust. It is as fragile as glass, and as indispensable
as any material resource. Trust is the foundation of empowerment.

Trust comes in many more different forms than just the normal way we
usually think of it.

Trust is allowing employees to roam around the company to get informa-

tion, and to talk with people. Trust is listening to what an employee’s work
has disclosed, or their critical commentary about the way something is being
done. Trust is letting the employee make presentations to upper manage-
ment, or managing the department in your absence. Trust is letting the
employee manage a project the way they feel most comfortable; allowing
them to “call the shots”; be responsible for the outcomes; and take credit
for the benefits accrued. In an old fashioned way, trust is nothing more
than making sure you treat your employees the way you would want to be
treated. Step out of your shoes and ask: ”Would I tolerate being treated this
way?” Chances are, if you would not be comfortable with the treatment you

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 15

are imposing on them — neither would your employees feel very comfort-
able...or trusted. The Golden Rule works quite well with the topic of trust.

2. Delegated Authority

Responsibility should go along authority. We have all heard about del-

egation before. In fact, many of us have probably uttered these words
ourselves, when talking with our bosses; or perhaps, complaining to our
peers about a certain project. Ideally, responsibility and authority should
go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, it’s not always the case.

This situation is often the cause for much grumbling and griping among
project managers and sponsors; and rightly so. In a truly empowered envi-
ronment, the knowledgeable employees are in the best positions to make
the most efficient decisions. Coupled with trust, delegated authority is a
powerful motivator and developing agent for employees. It’s another lesson
taken from life’s experiences. If you are responsible for something, you will
generally take better care of it, than if you were not responsible for it. After
all, isn’t that the reason why we give our children allowances — to make
them responsible for their financial investments and expenditures? Do we
not couple trust in their judgments, with a corresponding responsibility to
be accountable for the outcome of their expenditures? Why should it be
any different on the job? Trust and authority to make decisions, and be
subsequently responsible for those decisions, seems rather fundamental in
an empowered environment.

Perhaps the problem resides with a manager not wanting to let go of the
authority and share it with others? Perhaps it is seen as a loss of power?
Actually it is not, but rather a conversion of power from one of manage-
ment to leadership…power transformed. It’s a lot like being a parent. In the
early, formative years, you manage your children. In the adolescent and
young adult years, your most effective tools come from your leadership
skills — teaching by example. Your power comes from your reputation and
record of accomplishment, not your position as “the parent.” It’s not much
different in an organization, and it dovetails nicely with the next step on
the empowerment pyramid — leadership motivation.

3. Leadership Motivation

If you have ever worked for a real leader, you never quite forget the expe-
rience. That individual takes on an almost charismatic persona, motivating
people to want to do things — without even asking. This scenario is the

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 16

empowered environment in action — people don’t get told what to do, they
watch and learn by example, and act when it becomes appropriate.

In times of great change and redefinition, as we are experiencing in our busi-

ness world today, leaders are very valuable people to have. They are the
visionaries who set the company’s long-term mission. They point to the future
like a weathervane, explaining why they are seeing what they see. They edu-
cate and convince as much as they work. They are the ones who connect
their people to the rest of the corporation, and the world. Leaders link their
employees to the rich information network they will need to tap to unleash
the pent-up creativity that good professionals want so desperately to demon-
strate. They are Team USA coaches. They are the counselors — the pseudo
parents of everyone on the team. They inspire people to act. They are the
motivators. They spot the opportunities, and direct their people to them.

In the empowered environment, or team, or department, or company —

all employees are “members of the cast,” as Walt Disney said — even the
director and producer. There isn’t any reason for the director(s) or produc-
er(s) to flaunt their power and prestige — everybody already knows who
they are. They are the leaders precisely because everyone recognizes their
achievements, and agrees that is what they want to aspire to. That is the
crucial difference between management and leadership. Those from above
select managers. Leaders are chosen from those being led. In the best of
all worlds, it’s the same person — the “complete” manager. When it is not
the same person, upper management and the employees are out-of-step,
something is wrong. Motivation will be seriously affected. Leaders are the
glue for any organization. They are the motivation engines in an empow-
ered working environment.

4. Upward Communication

Empowered people like to know they have the ear of other people in the
organization, ideally those in the key decision-making areas. It is natural
for employees to want to have input into the very workings of the com-
pany. That is why we are all here — is it not — to exchange ideas and
comments in a constructive manner?

Being able to interact with, and communicate with, upper-level company

executives is a powerful stimulant for motivation. During changing times,
so much can be learned by watching and interfacing with company leaders,
and observing how things happen. Providing input, comments and feed-
back to this process is exhilarating to knowledge workers. They feel they
are truly part of the big picture. Once again, we encounter the leadership

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 17

connection here. Manager-leaders make this connection to a company’s
upper levels, and places their people into vital company positions.

The trick is to make the large corporation retain that “down home” flavor
— whereby access and communication with upper-level executives is both
encouraged, and also seen as a grooming ground for tomorrow’s new leaders.
What department leaders do for their staff must be done in kind by the upper-
level leaders, as well. It should be part of a corporate-wide mentoring and
educational process. Think of the incredible feelings you probably experienced,
when a vice president asked you to do a special project. You probably felt
motivated and energized, as you were able to have access to new information,
and work with it. Well, why not have this happen all the time? Think of the
necessity of this work structure and philosophy, in the Information Age.

Those companies that can communicate the most efficiently within their
own organization will probably enjoy a tremendous advantage. Almost 75
percent of all new product failures can be traced to poor interdepartmental
communications. What a company knows will be as important as what it
owns. Information is valuable...but only when communication channels are
available (and receptive) — for spreading the word around the company —
and making competitive advantage out of it.

In an empowered environment, upward communication is essential for

spreading the word. Without it, local (or department) leaders cannot con-
nect their people to a vision. And motivation will suffer when employees
cannot see their work connecting to the big picture.

5. Creative Working Environment

Jobs are not inherently creative. To varying degrees, each job presents
opportunities for creativity, but humans make up the creative elements.
How successful anyone may be is a direct function of the environment in
which they are allowed to operate. People are creative when:

• They know it is okay to try things their way.

• Managers welcome and encourage, rather than frown upon, new ideas.

• They have both the responsibility and authority for their work.

• Their superiors are more positive than negative in their comments.

• Channels of communication are wide open.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 18

• They are respected for their skills and talents, with opportunities to grow.

• They are recognized and rewarded for their achievements.

It doesn’t sound like too much to ask for, does it? It doesn’t cost much in
salary additions; in fact, salary is seldom the issue in creativity. People
prefer being trusted to do a good job. Most of the time all they really want
is some good soil in which to grow — they will usually be content to earn
their way from there. But, the “soil” is important. Ask any farmer. Good
seeds in bad soil are a tragedy. It’s worse than bad seeds in good soil.

This issue often separates the great companies from the good companies.
Corporate soil must be rich and well managed. It must nurture the creative
employees, so they can grow up to become tomorrow’s leaders. Creativity
is an art form. It needs room to express itself. The empowered organiza-
tion knows that the work place of the future will look more like a university
than today’s traditional offices. We associate creativity with our educational
institutions. We need to welcome creativity into the workplace. Creative
employees can turn ideas into competitive advantage — if they have the
right nutrients and encouragement in their soil...

6. Professional Development

All professionals want to grow and learn new things. Ideally, the empow-
ered working environment is exactly the place to do just that. Professional
development comes in different forms:

• Technical or specialty growth in the employee’s field of expertise,

or in new specialties

• Managerial growth, for the development of management and

leadership skills

• Cross-disciplinary training, for job expansion and broadening

• Professional society participation, for developing industry-related

contacts and network building

• Special assignments or team assignments, for departmental or

corporate problem-solving

All of these potential growth experiences are important for empowered people,
since they reinforce their personal goals, as well as validate their positions,

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 19

as a valuable part of their corporate teams. In the Information Age — where
information and knowledge will rule supreme — we will need to pay even more
attention to continuing education. Knowledge equals competitive advantage.

The empowered work place (as discussed earlier) may very well resemble a
modern, university-like environment — where education and learning takes
place all the time. The leaders in such a wonderful work experience will
teach, as much as they work, with their subordinates and peers. To main-
tain a high level of motivation, the workplace must be a growth experience
for all employees.

7. Resources

Having the resources to do the job makes all the difference in the world.
Ask any mechanic...with the right tools, any job can be done easily and
correctly. Resources are nothing more than the right tools. The empowered
work environment authorizes people to get the job done; make the neces-
sary decisions; and take responsibility. These properties are powerful stuff
for all employees, but must be backed up with the tools or resources to do
the job. These resources come in several forms:

• Funds and authorized monies

• People who understand their roles and responsibilities

• A communication network to other departments

• Outside contacts for assistance and additional resources

Without real resources to validate one’s ideas and concepts, and transform
them into reality, empowerment becomes nothing more than hollow plati-
tudes. Empowerment plus resources equals action.

8. Reward and Recognition

The final result of any good work effort should be reward and recognition
for the individuals who performed the work. Time and again studies have
shown that money is not necessarily the only or best way to provide reward
and recognition — especially for knowledge workers. These people tend to
be highly driven by personal achievement.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 20

There are many ways to reward and recognize people for their achieve-
ments in an empowered work environment, even during times when
financial rewards are limited by tight corporate budgets:

• Change in title, status, responsibilities

• Broadened work duties; greater job latitude and freedom

• Compensatory days off

• Taking an extra course or educational experience

• Covering for the boss when they are not available

• Assignment of increased staff and resources

• Going to conferences to bring back new information

• Starting a new project

Various other techniques for recognition include awarding plaques for dis-
play, special certificates, and perhaps an article in a company newspaper.

As we empower employees, it can be easy to forget that recognition and

reward for a job well done is the “icing on the cake.” Often, it costs rela-
tively little to acknowledge an outstanding effort. It does set an excellent
example for others to strive for the recognition. Some of the best sports
coaches can teach us quite a bit about how reward and recognition pro-
mote empowered environments. As sports plays unfold, the athletes know
what has to be done, and they take the steps to do the right things. We
want that kind of reaction in the workplace — with the leaders acting as the
coaches — recognizing good, solid and consistent performance.

These are the eight basic components of empowerment — with trust and
leadership forming the foundation, and acting as the glue for the whole
structure. Without empowerment, quality programs lack the vigor and
commitment of employee buy-in. People can own problems and solve them
when they are empowered to do so. Leaders stimulate empowerment. If
you want employees to be empowered, there must be a “quid pro quo”
agreement — you must give them the authority, tools and resources to do
the job. Would you accept such a challenge without the proper equipment?

Walk the talk.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 21

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

H
arry T. Roman holds 12 U.S. Patents; received numerous engineering,
invention and teaching awards; and has published over 550 scien-
tific papers, articles, monographs and books. In 1999, the New Jersey
Technology Education and Engineering Association named him a Distinguished
Technology Educator. In 2005, the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame hon-
ored Roman with an Inventor of the Year award for his application of mobile
robots in hazardous work environments. In 1996, IEEE honored him with a
Meritorious Achievement Award for developing continuing education products
for IEEE members. Again in 2006, IEEE honored Roman with an Outstanding
Engineer award. Every month, more than 65,000 educators read his feature
articles appearing in various national publications.

In PSE&G’s R&D group, where Roman worked for 36 years, he directed

and consulted on more than $100 million worth of projects/programs. He
also taught graduate-level R&D project management courses at the New
Jersey Institute of Technology [NJIT]. Throughout his engineering career,
Roman worked with schools around the state, bringing the excitement of
real-world problem-solving into the classroom. Retired since 2006, he has
published more than 70 resource books, math card games, and science
kits for teachers — products valued for their “head and hands” approach
to teaching creativity, invention, STEM, engineering and alternate energy
topics, in the classroom.

Roman now spends many hours in the classroom working with teachers
and students in West Orange, Montclair and Livingston, conducting spe-
cial student project team challenges. He is an advisor/author to the Edison
Innovation Foundation and docent/special lecturer at the Thomas Edison
National Historical Park in West Orange. Roman also admits to writing and
publishing poetry and short stories.

DEVELOPING YOUR PEOPLE VOLUME 3 22

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