ewenlb

9K posts

ewenlb banner
ewenlb

ewenlb

@ewenlb

I help and challenge everyone to unlock their #collaborative, #facilitative, #relational magic for better human systems and our planet.

Voorburg (NL) Katılım Mayıs 2008
578 Takip Edilen1.8K Takipçiler
ewenlb retweetledi
Helen Bevan
Helen Bevan@HelenBevan·
I do not like the term “empowerment”. “Empowerment” is everywhere in the world of change leadership. It’s in the top three of the most commonly used leadership terms globally according to @DigitalDefynd. Personally, I never use “empowerment” unless I’m working with someone who is doing so already. When organisations or leaders seek to "empower" people, it's often them choosing what's best or how much control others can have. This puts the person or group doing the empowering above everyone else & doesn't really give true freedom to those on the receiving end. Empowerment suggests that power is something that “we” give to “them,” reinforcing the status of the “giver” & (often unintentionally) making others feel weak or dependent, which is the opposite of what empowerment is supposed to do. “Agency” is a better principle than “empowerment”. It means recognising people's innate ability to contribute & lead rather than relying on managers to bestow permission. People with agency decide what to do, take action & shape what happens. It’s their own drive & ability, not because someone else says they can. Agency makes people active collaborators in change & leads to better, more sustainable change outcomes. As leaders, we can give people empowerment, by granting permission or sharing authority. We cannot give people agency: people have to build it for themselves through practice, experience & reflection. But leaders can create a climate for agency to thrive through encouragement, resources & space. Being “agentic” means acting with or displaying agency. This term has become popular recently because of the development of “agentic AI” – AI systems that can act autonomously & make decisions, rather than just react to commands, prompts or rules. We don’t just need agentic AI; we need agentic people too. “Agentic” is beyond “empowered”; it means shifting from a top-down model of control to one that trusts & supports people to make their own choices, solve problems & shape their own work. This shift requires us to let go of rigid structures, foster open dialogue & design systems that enable autonomy & collective discovery. When teams operate with agency, they become active collaborators, driving innovation & resilience in the face of uncertainty. The future belongs to leaders who encourage agency - rather than empowerment - where people don’t wait for permission, but act with purpose & ownership. “Designing for agency: how leaders move past empowerment”: agileleadershipjourney.com/blog/designing…. By Daniel Gagnon & Pete Behrens. Graphic adapted from “Agency is the highest level of personal competence”: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/gettin…. By @ThomasSBateman.
Helen Bevan tweet media
English
24
69
219
18.1K
ewenlb retweetledi
Helen Bevan
Helen Bevan@HelenBevan·
The way that we, as leaders, convey emotions really matters. New research busts the myth that leaders who express harsh feedback at the start of a project help to drive performance by showing the required standard. The research showed the opposite: the extent to which leaders expressed positivity (at the start of a project or year) was the biggest predictor of team success. It was as simple as stating how much they cared about team members, enjoyed working with them & valued their specific contributions. The research doesn't suggest that leaders have to always be positive, but that challenging feedback works better at the midpoint of a project or a year. Timing is important. Leaders who express constant negativity hurt team members’ performance: hbr.org/2025/04/resear…. Via @jacobsglevitt @HarvardBiz.
Helen Bevan tweet media
English
4
30
94
8.7K
ewenlb retweetledi
Helen Bevan
Helen Bevan@HelenBevan·
We don't need to engage everyone in our network/community of practice/improvement campaign. Trying to activate the passive parts of our community or stakeholder group can be exhausting & demoralising . Unequal participation is natural. In most communities/groups we can see three clear groups: (1) The most active members at the core: they are the "stewards" who take initiative & make things happen. (2) The committed members: they want to be part of this group, they contribute & participate to their abilities (3) The outer circle of people who are mostly passive: some of them were once active in the past; some of them you have never seen. Group (3) make up the majority of your community. It is a mistake to try to turn the disengaged people in group (3) into group (2) activists. You can't push anyone into anything. Much better to focus on supporting groups (1) & (2). Keep group (3) informed & make light-touch invitations. People’s energy often changes over time so don't close doors: medium.com/together-insti…. By @pforti. Graphic/additional material from Adrian Röbke & Michel Bachmann.
Helen Bevan tweet media
English
4
51
190
14.5K

Keşfet

@DigitalDefynd @ThomasSBateman @jacobsglevitt @HarvardBiz @pforti @elonmusk @BarackObama @taylorswift13