Are you empowering others or unleashing agency? In this episode, Judith Katz and Fred Miller join Kevin to discuss the role of agency in the workplace. While autonomy and authority are often topics of discussion, agency — the ability for all individuals, regardless of their role or tenure, to possess power, influence, and a voice — is crucial for high-performance organizations. They explain how organizational cultures often "smother" this natural agency through excessive rules, approvals, and "checkers checking checkers," which leads to the slow implementation of even the best strategies. Judith and Fred highlight that organizations need to transition from control-based leadership to trust-based leadership.

Listen For

00:08 Autonomy, Authority, and Agency Introduction
00:40 Join Future Episodes Live + Book Promo
01:31 Introducing Judith Katz and Fred Miller
02:15 Background of the Guests and Their Work
02:58 Focus on Their Book: The Power of Agency
03:43 Fred's Journey to Writing the Book
05:22 Constraints in Organizations Today
06:15 Speed vs. Bureaucracy and Motivation for the Book
07:03 Judith on Why the Book Matters Now
08:08 Uncovering Ideas and Talent in the Workplace
08:38 Defining Agency
10:02 Who Should Have Agency in Organizations
10:26 Agency vs. Empowerment
11:34 The Natural State of Human Agency
12:16 Smothering vs. Unleashing Agency
12:43 Empowerment as Bestowing vs. Agency as Unleashing
13:42 Is the Trend Toward or Away from Agency?
15:16 Organizational Culture Post-COVID
16:14 Importance of Being Physically Together Sometimes
17:21 Human Connection and In-Person Insights
18:17 Discretionary Energy Drives Great Organizations
18:53 Skills Needed for Practicing Agency
19:55 Trust, Experimentation, and Continuous Improvement
21:13 Ownership and Decision-Making in Action
22:16 Fear of Going Big in Organizational Culture
23:05 Leadership and Facilitation for Voice
24:14 Mindset Shift Needed for Agency
25:05 Fear, Control, and Trust in Talent
26:29 Talent Retention Through Agency
27:17 Disengagement and Side Gigs
28:03 Saying Yes as a Leadership Strategy
29:07 The Core of Agency in Action
29:34 What the Guests Do for Fun
30:41 What They’re Reading Now
32:09 Where to Find the Book and Connect
33:39 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

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Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.

Book Recommendations

The Power of Agency by Frederick A. Miller and Judith H. Katz
No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

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