🔓Unlocking Empowerment

I’ve worked with countless executive and transformation teams over the years, and there’s one pattern I keep seeing, even in the highest-performing ones:

Empowerment isn’t what we think it is.

In fact, what’s often called “empowerment” is actually selective empowerment, a dangerous dynamic that quietly undermines change and stifles progress.

Let’s be clear:

✅ Everyone says they believe in empowerment. 

✅ But when push comes to shove, decisions that feel uncomfortable, messy, or outside someone’s preferred zone? Suddenly it’s a “no.” 

✅ The ability to stop things becomes the ultimate power play.

This isn’t collaboration.

It’s control dressed in a nicer outfit.

And it’s killing transformation momentum from the inside.

Today, I want to double-click on what real empowerment looks like, especially for change sponsors, transformation leaders, and practitioners navigating complex organisational dynamics.

So, what is empowerment really?

Empowerment is a felt experience, not a job title or a checkbox.

It’s the environment, trust, and culture that allow people to act, decide, and shape outcomes without fear of retribution or second-guessing.

Let’s get into the real truths:

1. Empowerment starts with culture, not process.

If you have an empowerment issue, it’s rarely about workflows or training.

It’s almost always about deep-seated control, low psychological safety, or team immaturity. That’s where you need to look.

2. To unlock maturity, people must know you’ve got their backs.

You can’t expect people to take initiative if they’re going to be punished when it doesn’t go perfectly. Empowerment without support is just exposure.

3. Harmony ≠ Empowerment.

Being “super nice” or always in agreement doesn’t fuel bold decision-making. It often creates avoidance, not action.

4. Be careful what you wish for.

Not everyone wants to be empowered. Some people genuinely prefer to be told what to do. That’s not failure, it’s human nature. But it must be named.

5. If it’s not rewarded and safe, it won’t happen.

You can’t empower people and then penalise risk-taking. Without reinforcement, empowerment becomes lip service.

6. Selective Empowerment is real.

Especially in high-pressure, high-IQ environments. People want power over the work they like, but don’t want accountability for the rest. That’s not empowerment. That’s cherry-picking.

7. Accountability without empowerment is like having a car but no license to drive it.

You’re being held responsible, but you’re not allowed to steer. It’s a recipe for burnout and disengagement.

💡 Why This Matters

Change fails not just because of resistance, but because of the misuse and misunderstanding of power.

If you’re a transformation or change sponsor or leader, ask yourself:

Are your teams truly empowered, or just empowered when it’s convenient?

And if you’re a change leader or consultant:

Are you unintentionally stuck in a system that wants delivery, not leadership?

🎯 Want to see where you stand as a change leader?

Take the Future Fit Change Leader Scorecard, and get a tailored report on your strengths, blind spots, and next strategic steps to elevated leadership, presence, and trajectory.

📍✅👉 Take the Future Fit Change Leader Quiz Now: https://www.futurefitleader.com/relevance-quiz

🎤I am speaking at Agile Australia June 2025

If you want to learn more about navigating The Two Speeds of Transformation between what is strategic and where you can bring iterative momentum

This topic is at the intersection of transformation leadership, Agile principles, and the reality of running large-scale programs. Many organisations struggle to balance Agile's fast-paced, iterative nature with the deliberate, strategic depth required for successful transformations.

This session clarifies what can and cannot be "Agilable" in transformation programs and introduces the concept of running at two speeds: one focused on flexibility and responsiveness, the other on alignment and stability.

🎫 Receive a special 10% discount as a member of my newsletter.

Details are below👇

Till next week

Jess Tayel

Founder of the Transformation Leadership Institute and People of Transformation membership & community.

Enable Organizations to Become Future Fit Through their Transformations & Change efforts.

Elevate Change & Transformation high-performing leaders to soar above the sea of sameness and achieve new heights in mastery, influence, & impact without the drag of going solo or slow progression.