Cultivating a Sense of Agency

In the first one, C-Suite members rumbled during a retreat with the challenges, demands, and structures that make their leadership harder.  As the retreat closed, one member summarized aptly where people were landing when he said (this is my paraphrasing of his words), “The fact is we’re senior leaders. We are in these positions to do the hard things.  If we’re not going to take these things on, why are we here?”  Cultivating a sense of agency, thus, is part of the job, and requires work, even for leaders at the highest levels.

The second event was a gathering of rural folks- volunteers, government agencies, elected officials, businesses, nonprofits, funders, and more.  Throughout the event, speakers, panelists, and folks I found myself in conversation with spoke to the practical reality they live with that no one is going to tackle the issues that need tackling if they don’t do it for themselves.  This was not shared as a complaint, but as a place to bring diverse interests together to dream, plan and act for what could be. Cultivating a sense of agency here happens collectively and with intention to work towards a shared goal.

I define agency as the power to connect to and activate one’s own potential, as well as enabling others to do the same.  As I continue reflecting on recent experiences, I’m imagining agency as a balance point, or the fulcrum, between a spectrum of expressions of power over and power under. I am also equating the power over end of the spectrum to entitlement and the power under end of the spectrum to powerlessness.  And I am finding it particularly interesting that a major outcome of both ends of the spectrum is expecting others to do the work.

The Extremes: Expecting Others to Do the Work

Entitlement: At one extreme, entitlement is the belief that others owe us success or advantages. It’s characterized by expectations of others to do the work or make things happen for us, often without reciprocation, effort or merit.  I hear this connected often to people in positions of power and authority who have gotten there through privilege not accessible to others. I also hear it raised within the context of generational differences, in which it’s coming from younger employees in positions lower in an organizational hierarchy who are impatient for raises and promotions. 

When entitled individuals are expecting others to do the work for them or make things happen for them, it can take the shape of unrealistic expectations and too much control (micro-managing), or too little direction (disengaged).  It can mean someone is not open to feedback or guidance and are not open to learning and growing. And it can mean that one person is standing in the way of progress.  It can result in strained relationships and lack of team cohesiveness.

Powerlessness: At the other end, we find those who feel powerless. They believe they have little control over their circumstances or outcomes and often rely on others to make decisions or act. Like those who feel entitled, someone who is feeling powerless relies on others to drive change or solve problems, but from a place of perceived helplessness rather than expectation.

Powerlessness can stem from many origins, a big one being from systemic power inequities and conditioning that arises out of those.  In today’s world where chaos and uncertainty are ever-present and change is coming at a speed beyond human adaptability, many people are feeling some sense of powerlessness. 

When people feel powerless in organizations, they are less likely to engage meaningfully in the work or think about how they can make a difference.  They might do the minimum to get by.  When people are leading those who feel powerless, common complaints I hear sound like “they don’t take initiative,” “they regularly miss opportunities to advance our work,” or “they blame others when they make a mistake or don’t get something done.”  Interestingly, this can trigger a sense of powerlessness in the leaders.

Both extremes share a common thread: the expectation that others will drive their success or determine their fate.

The Balance: Personal Agency

In the center of this spectrum lies personal agency. Personal agency isn’t about doing everything alone – it’s about taking ownership of one’s own potential while effectively collaborating with others to make things happen. 

When people have cultivated a strong sense of personal agency, they proactively seek solutions and opportunities and engage others with them.  They take responsibility for their actions and outcomes, owning their successes and mistakes, and celebrating or supporting others in theirs.  They collaborate effectively without over-relying on others, balancing self-reliance with the ability to ask for help when needed.  They see asking for help as a strength rather than a shortfall or a threat to their ego.

So, why does this matter?

Great leaders understand and cultivate personal agency in themselves and their teams, creating cultures of empowerment, collaboration, and accountability.  As senior leaders get closer to retirement and look around for who will fill their shoes, this is particularly important.

• Knowing your own mindset: Recognizing where you fall on this spectrum in different situations can be eye-opening. It allows you to adjust your approach and mindset for better outcomes.  And if you’re a leader higher in the hierarchy, these are crucial questions for you to ponder because it’s harder for people to manage up than manage down.
• Assessing the balance of your team: Having one person on a team who feels entitled or powerless can cause a bottleneck.  But when there are more than one, the bulk of the work might fall on one or a few.  Does your team fall more towards one of the spectrum or other, or is there enough agency among all members to balance on the fulcrum? 
• Understanding people you’re leading: Because entitlement and powerlessness can both manifest in expecting others to do the work, it’s important to employ empathy to understand where the person is coming from so that you can have an informed conversation (probably more like a series of conversations) to solve for the issue at hand.  A conversation to strategize change for someone who is coming from a place of entitlement might be more centered around expectations and measures of success while a conversation with someone who is feeling powerless might center more around gaining needed support or explicitly defining together what they have control or authority over.
• The potential for integration: Personal agency isn’t something you have or don’t have.  While I’m simplifying this to a spectrum to explore agency, it is common that someone can feel great agency in one area of their life, like work, but not another area, like in their personal life.  Or they might have a sense of agency in relationships, but not in finances.  Or some other combination. This is not all-or-nothing, which can be helpful to remember because if someone can tap into agency in one part of their life they might be able to carry that over into another part of their life.
• Relationship dynamics: Where someone falls on this spectrum affects how they interact (or not) with others. Developing agency amongst group or team members helps foster collaborative, effective relationships to move toward shared goals.
• Problem-solving: Those with personal agency are more likely to seek solutions rather than waiting for others to fix issues or blaming external factors.
• Career advancement: Employers value individuals who take initiative and responsibility (personal agency) over those who expect things to be done for them or feel unable to effect change.
• Resilience: Personal agency builds resilience. When faced with challenges, those in the center of the spectrum are better equipped to adapt and persevere.  And in today’s world, we can all count on challenges coming a little more often than we’d like.

Reflection Questions:

• In what areas of your professional or personal life do you exhibit entitlement, powerlessness, or personal agency?
• How has your position on this spectrum affected your relationships, resilience, career advancement, or some other area of your life?
• What steps can you take to cultivate more personal agency in your work and life?
• What support might you or those who you are leading need to grow a greater sense of agency?