Project e-Tip 036: Exercise Power Collaboratively

by Hal on November 23, 2004

in collaboration, leadership, tips

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Your own power and authority will only get you so far. You'll gain power when you share it. So goes the argument of the editor of Harvard Business Review. Read on…


The Project Reformer's e-Tip of the Week
036: Exercise Power Collaboratively

One of my favorite business writers is Thomas A. Stewart. Stewart wrote for Fortune Magazine and Business 2.0 before joining Harvard Business Review as editor. He's not doing much writing anymore. However, he does write the opening essay for each issue of HBR. I open to it each issue. The October lead article is titled "Surprises for New CEOs," a collaboration of Michael Porter, Jay Lorsch, and Nitin Nohria. Their article is a winner. Stewart's commentary is unforgettable. Stewart sums up the article with the following:

"The more power you have, the more important it is to exercise that power collaboratively."

HBR's target readers are the leaders of our companies. Stewart's one sentence conclusion is good advice for all of us who find we are accumulating power and authority. This is especially appropriate for project managers on big, or complex, or troubled projects. It's also practical advice. Project leaders can't be in all places at once. Projects by nature are distributed in their organization and execution. Sharing power with project performers only accumulates more power for the leader. The organization functions better when each member is in the position to act with authority. Try it. Explore with your team how you can share power with them.

The Project Leaders' Studio™

©2004 Hal Macomber | weblog.halmacomber.com | e-Tip Archive | PDF | Submit Tip

Try this on your projects. First, discuss it openly with your project team. How collaborative are you in your leadership? You'll never know if you don't ask!

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