The Law of Empowerment: Only secure leaders give power to others. Leading well is not about enriching yourself – it’s about empowering others. The number one enemy of empowerment is the fear of losing what we have. To push people down, you have to go down with them. Enlarging others makes you larger.

I certainly believe, through experience, that when we rise up through the ranks, our level of responsibility increases. This level of responsibility should become more strategic and less tactical necessitating the need for delegation. One of the points of delineation between effective and ineffective leadership comes directly from our power to delegate effectively. Choosing the right partners is a skill that takes time to develop. Instinct, intuition and common sense are all at play. Too often we select our friends or those people who agree with us all the time versus those that enrich and challenge us to grow as a leader. Very often those who ride out coat-tails fail to appreciate the opportunity we as leaders provide and that unhealthy relationship is most likely going to result in contention. I don’t agree that enlarging others makes you larger. Like social welfare programs in general create artificial supporting mechanisms that ultimately result in unhealthy dependencies burdening the sponsor. If we take away the motivation to survive, to strive for something better, to reach for something higher, to encourage complacency, we stifle our own progress. Humans need a good predator. they help us stay sharp and progressive.

Great leaders gain authority by giving it away. – James Stockdale

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. – Theodore Roosevelt