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the organization brings out the best in its people, it is bringing out the best
in the organization.

Enabling leaders know they can’t achieve organizational excellence on their

own. They learn that when they share leadership in the organization, it
improves their own capacity to lead. Time can be freed up to do more
important things, such as strategic thinking, envisioning, and creating
innovative solutions to ongoing problems. The sharing of leadership
enables the empowering of others by fostering collaboration, promoting

cooperative goals, and building trust in their relationships. Leaders
encourage their employee’s to use the word “we” rather than “I”.

Leaders foster collaboration and build spirited teams. They actively involve
others. Leaders understand that mutual respect is what sustains
extraordinary efforts; they strive to create an atmosphere of trust and human
dignity. They strengthen others, making each person feel capable and

powerful. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner.

The test of your leadership is not what happens when you are there, but
what happens when you’re not there. Ken Blanchard.

The fact is that effective and productive leaders see their greatest successes

through the successes of their employees. Empowerment means letting
people bring their knowledge and experience to work, and fostering their
motivation to use it on organizational tasks. It also means encouraging
them, giving them power, and helping them to succeed. Only empowered
people can reach their potential. 258 The main ingredient for empowering

others as a leader is a strong belief in people, which helps them become
more confident in themselves. 259

Being willing to invest time and resources into the development of staff
leadership requires unselfish leadership and a high level of skill at the top.

Empowerment encourages people to grow professionally, which can foster
innovation and change. Change is the price of progress, and, as was stated
in a previous chapter, change makes people uncomfortable. For some
leaders, this uncomfortable feeling is a barrier to their following through
with leadership development within the organization.

258
John C. Maxwell. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007. p. 146.
259
John C. Maxwell. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007. p. 150.
David Kolzow 256