An excerpt from The Heart of a Leader by Ken Blanchard

A river without banks is a large puddle ~ Ken Blanchard

Start your people on a journey to the land of empowerment, but don’t forget that they need boundaries. If you cut them loose without any direction, they will get lost and revert back to their old unempowered habits. Like the banks of a river, boundaries have the ability to channel energy in the right direction. If you take away the boundaries, your people will lose their momentum and direction.

Boundaries that create autonomy include:

• Purpose—what does your company do?
• Values—what are your company’s operational guidelines?
• Goals—where is your company headed?
• Roles—who does what?
• Structure—how is your company organized?

Don’t send inexperienced people off alone and then punish them when they make mistakes. Establish clear boundaries that will free them to make decisions, take initiative, act like owners, and stay on track.