The Language of Empowerment: Leading Differently

Source: Wikimedia Commons

David Marquet, Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired), has written a good article on Fast Company's website about his leadership philosophy.   Marquet used to command a nuclear submarine for the U.S. Navy.  He describes how leaders can make the shift from a top-down, command-and-control approach to a model that stressed empowerment and accountability at all levels.  Marquet emphasizes the importance of language as a tool for changing the way people view the leader-subordinate relationship:

The key to your team becoming more proactive rests in the language subordinates and superiors use.
Here is a short list of "disempowered phrases" that passive followers use:

• Request permission to . . .
• I would like to . . .
• What should I do about . . .
• Do you think we should . . .
• Could we . . .

Here is a short list of "empowered phrases" that active doers use:

• I intend to . . .
• I plan on . . .
• I will . . .
• We will . . 

Marquet doesn't want action to begin with an order from the commander.  Instead, he wants action to begin with an empowered subordinate coming up with a recommended course of action.  Then, the subordinate should explain their plan ("I intend to").  The commander reacts to that recommendation, rather than simply barking out orders.   The change in language may seem trivial, but it emphasizes a shift in responsibility.  It pushes the burden down upon the subordinate to proactively come up with a plan of action and to recommend it to the "boss" - rather than having subordinates wait passively to be told what to do.