It appeared to be an accountability issue – that’s where our briefing conversation began before an executive Fearless Leadership® workshop.

The CEO – let’s call him Greg – questioned whether accountability was lacking in his executive team. He also expressed concern about accountability gaps among leaders below the executive level.

Through my experience working with leadership teams, I’ve found that when accountability is questioned, the root cause often lies in a lack of empowerment. Greg was open to exploring this possibility.

My Fearless Leadership Quiz highlights nine domains of Fearless Leadership, each evaluated with a binary yes/no question. The prompt for empowerment is:

Empowerment looks different through the privilege of seniority. We think we empower others, and yet asking them may yield a different response. Confusion results from lack of clarity over the task or decision-making authority, or ambiguity over what ‘done’ looks like. Overhelping from the senior leader can be disempowering. Giving people a voice and allowing them to fail and learn contributes to empowerment.

The quiz question, designed to provoke thought, is: The way this team leads empowers my operational team members to make decisions and take action. YES/NO. This question often sparks rich, revealing, and sometimes challenging conversations.

How would you respond if asked this about your leadership team?

Before you think ‘all good – nothing to see here’, take a moment to consider how your team might unintentionally be hindering empowerment. This could happen when:

• Mid or senior leaders’ decisions are overturned by executives without explanation or context.
• Senior leaders feel that presenting to executives is merely a formality for pre-made decisions.
• Work is reassigned or taken back by the executive without consulting those involved.
• Connection between organisational strategy and work plans are unclear
• Expectations on outcomes – or methods – are mismatched or confusing.
• Leaders are not confident to question executives nor seek clarification when they are unsure what’s needed.

Greg’s team identified that a lack of clarity around task initiation could resemble a lack of accountability and hinder empowerment. They took steps to address this, especially when launching new projects.

What’s blocking empowerment in your workplace, and how could you address it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Go Fearlessly – Corrinne