I’ve enjoyed somewhat of a vacation from blogging over the past couple weeks, but looking forward to getting some posts up in the near future.Leaders frequently talk about empowerment and servant leadership – whether they are able to live it out or not. Each year over the last 4-5 years I’ve learned more and more about the connection between true empowerment and voice.
Family dinners at our house are exhausting. You’ve got a breastfeeding two-month old baby, a five year old who’s losing her teeth and is highly structured, and a three year old, highly expressive boy who loves to talk when he gets the chance. It’s very fun, but it usually wipes us out.
Part of our job at dinner is regulating conversation. Colin loves to share stories and tell about his day. But he’s three so half the time you can’t even tell what he’s saying and he’s all over the place. But he communicates passionately! But his lack of precision and clarity bothers his perfectionist and detailed older sister.
Sharing about our days frequently turns into a competition of voice and who typically would win? Morgan – older sister can speak more authoritatively and has a place of high status in Colin’s life. At some point Colin will just give up and let his sister start talking.
A huge part of our job I believe in parenting is mediating a bit and making sure that Colin (and in a few years Kaelyn) learns to develop his voice. It’s our job to make sure that Colin is not repeatedly silenced in meaningful family interactions. It’s also our job to make sure that Morgan learns how to listen and allow others to have the space to have a voice.
This is how developing voice and empowerment might look in a family setting like mine. But for those on teams, similar dynamics are at work. Some people take up a lot of space, have more status, and exude more authority or natural strength. Some people defer, take up little space, and are less comfortable or able to have a voice in community situations.
Most leadership development focuses on skill and strategies. But leaders might find their ability to reproduce leadership significantly increased if they learn how to facilitate voice in their community. That means helping those typically silenced or who struggle to have a voice.
It also means helping those who have loud voices become partners in the effort to draw out other voices.
So no matter what role you have in your context – leader or follower; you can be an agent to help empower people through giving them a voice and helping them value the voice of others in the community.
If you want to read more on voice and empowerment and leadership check out Making Room for Leadership by MaryKate Morse.
