Hello Charles,
I found your response quite facinating more so because my thoughts were
also almost on similar lines with regards to what impowerment'is all
about.
I feel that the power we are referring to is existent in each one of us
and probably we may not be aware of it or if aware only at an intellectual
level. If I enable somebody (who is not aware of this power within
him/her self) to become aware or discover this power within oneself I may
be probably empowering him/her. I think em-power in literal sense means
'to provide with power' and since this 'power' is alreadly existing within
each one of us , it is waiting to be only discovered or experienced, issue
of it being provided therefore does not arise at all.
l would love to see other responses. This is the first time I am
responding to this list and it is quite exciting to have a dialogue of
this nature as it also reflects the interrelatedness between
thinking/thoughts between people across 'borders'.
bye bye
Sharada Chandrasekar
6-12-98.
sharada_c@hotmail.com
>In my personal journey, I originally did not want "to be a leader" but
>have slowly over time found that I really have no choice. It is part of
>being human and part of making decisions. The initial reluctance on my
>part I believe is shared by many. Have we not been taught to revere the
>"expert" and those who are "academically" trained? We defer choices away
>from ourselves, perhaps in an effort to evade responsibility (another word
>that has been in this thread). Having embraced the inevitability of
>leadership and responsibility (a package deal, I think), I would agree
>with John on two points: that empowerment (at least in its general
>connotation) doesn't exist and that people are rarely given power.
[...big snip by your host...]
--"sharada chandrasekar" <sharada_c@hotmail.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>