Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

by Patty McCord

One thing I can promise you about the process of building your own culture of freedom and responsibility is that you will be heartened by how people step up. When people feel that they have more power, more control over their careers, they feel more confidence—confidence to speak up more, to take more risks, to pick themselves up again when they make mistakes, and to take on more and more responsibility. They will amaze you. Just imagine if you had an organization full of people who know they have power. Think of the better judgments they’ll make and how much faster they will make them. Think of how they’ll surprise you with ideas you could never have asked them for. Imagine what it will be like to be so much more honest and open—you with them and them with you.