Empowerment is becoming a buzz word as of late, which is great because there is opportunity for great discussions to occur around the topic. There are many different aspects of empowerment to consider when discussing the workplace- this article will focus on the concept of self-empowerment as it relates to making choices for your well-being at work.
What do I mean?
In a future article, I'll discuss enmeshment and other types of workplace toxicity that can impact our sense of self and well-being. When we are enmeshed in our workplaces (or within any relationship) it's tough to maintain appropriate boundaries and really know what's ours to manage versus our leader, coworkers, etc. When referring to self-empowerment here, I am referring to not being afraid to set boundaries and state expectations you have regarding how people work and interact with you that best align with your core values.
Sure, to some extent we need to align ourselves with company values- as it relates to dealing with clients or customers, or perhaps how we perform our work. But we all know that espoused company values and behaviors rarely, if ever, match the enacted values and behaviors (the ones we actually see and experience). For example, if your company has an espoused value of integrity, but your company also allows questionable or unethical behavior to continue, the company is not aligned. In these circumstances (and any really) you have the right to stand up for yourself and refuse to participate in those unethical behaviors if they do not align with you.
I'd be naive to think that this is easy to do. With fear and uncertainty driving many of our choices (fear of job loss, financial instability, reputation, etc.), I can see how someone may rationalize seemingly "small" compromises to their values for the sake of saving face or maintaining employment. This is a covert manifestation though of skilled incompetence, in which our actions do not match our own values or what we say we want.
For example, most people would agree that a large percentage of organizations today are corrupt in some way, and that maybe they wish there were a way for organizations to just do the right thing. However, most people will also behave as described above, putting aside this sentiment in the face of an actual threat to themselves or their livelihood- which gives the green light for organizations to continue as is....and the cycle continues.
What if we re-focused on empowering ourselves first? What if we were able to make decisions not based on fear, but values alone? How would the world of work change?
The sooner we recognize our power in creating change, the sooner we can build the world we're looking for- we just happen to be looking to people who aren't interested in building a safe world, to build the safe world for us.
What are some small, practical ways we can begin to build our resilience, and self-empowerment?
Don't wait for your leader to empower you to make decisions that are best for you. Should your leader empower you to make decisions for the company? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean you forsake your needs while waiting for your leader or someone else to validate them.
Always choose you. At the end of the day, organizations will choose themselves if faced with a similar dilemma. Never compromise your values for an organization who will replace you in a few weeks' time anyway.
When you've decided to empower yourself, don't let doubt cause you to turn back on your decision. If others disagree with a decision you've made for yourself (which doesn't negatively impact others), that is not your concern. People will project their fears and limitations onto you, and that is something they will need to sort out.
Let go of fear: don't be afraid to make choices for yourself that may not align with the status quo. Connect to who you are as a person (versus what society or workplace culture says you "should" be) and always chart your course on that foundation. Again, your organization does this without concern for how it will impact you or your coworkers, so, take the same approach, without allowing fear, gaslighting, and other intimidation methods steer you differently.
What else would you add to this list? Share in the comments!
Hi! I'm Nicole, an organizational consultant and personal coach, who is passionate about inspiring the changes our society needs for all to thrive. Using lessons learned from my own experiences and challenges, I hope to help people within organizations by creating mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy workplaces for all. Check out the other resources on this site for more ways to do just that!
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