In leadership and government, there is a constant debate on empowerment vs entitlement. People on both sides empowerment vs entitlement debate feel that their approach will lead to success. Some people believe that people are born with specific entitlements that come in the form of specific rights and privileges while others feel everything you get in life should be earned.
Define Empowerment vs Entitlement
To fully understand the empowerment vs entitlement debate, it is important to understand the meaning of empowerment vs entitlement. Entitlement as defined in the dictionary means, “to give (a person) the right to do or have something; qualify; allow.” or “the right to guaranteed benefits under a government program.” Empowerment, on the other hand means, “the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization.” It also means, “to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means: I empowered my agent to make the deal for me. The local ordinance empowers the board of health to close unsanitary restaurants.” These two approaches have gained additional momentum because of the downturn in the economy. Everyone wants to be successful and come out of their current economic slump.
Entitlement
I read an article about entitlement that was titled, Are Entitlements Corrupting Us? by Nicholas Eberstadt. Nicholas explained that “Yes” entitlements are corrupting us. People are becoming less motivated to work hard and be entrepreneurial because they expect to receive handouts for everything. He also explained that governments are giving people entitlements on a mass scale, and in the U.S. alone, over 60% of the total government outlays are given to entitlements.
People that support entitlement believe that if you put in what is considered your fair share, you are entitled to receive help, support, and anything else you want because it is your right and you deserve it. A little entitlement leads to more entitlement. If one person gets a special benefit without putting forth work, then others expect the same treatment, especially when they put forth a lot of work and effort. Entitlement takes the desire out of people to work hard to accomplish their goals because the thought, “Why should I work hard for something if I can just coast by and get the same with no work.”
Empowerment
Empowerment is thought of as the opposite of entitlement. People who feel empowered believe they have a great worth. They understand that nothing comes easy and if they work hard now, they will hopefully reap the benefits of their labors at some point in the future. They don’t expect to receive handouts or gifts from anyone else if they didn’t do anything to work for it. Empowered people understand that they have control over their own destiny as they work hard and do their very best. If they are lazy and don’t put forth effort, they know they will not obtain their goals. Empowered people believe they must do everything they can to reach their goals. They understand, however, that hard work still does not guarantee or give them the right to have success. They hope for success, but understand that no one owes them anything. They believe that they are blessed if the fruits of their labors lead to success.
If you are a leader or an aspiring leader, you can reach your goals if you do all you can. You can be empowered to be amazing. There are far too many people that have the word CAN’T as a regular word in their vocabulary. If you do everything you can do, you will obtain your goals and dreams if you set your mind to it.
How it relates
A little while back, I heard the story of a situation. There was a man born into a family that didn’t have much. His parents taught him that each person should work hard for their money and whenever possible you should get as much education as possible. The man followed the advice of his parents and took out many loans to go through college so he could one day be successful. He worked very hard as he went through college and once he graduated was able to get a job in a great company. Once he started in his job, he worked very hard to be a great leader. He spent many hours extra each day working so he could reap the benefits of his labors. Since he wasn’t born into a rich family, he didn’t have anything more than his work ethic and determination. After many years of labor, he paid off all his loans and became very successful.
There was another man that was also born into a family that didn’t have much. He grew up in very similar circumstances with his parents telling him that he should get a good education. Instead of following his parents advice, he was lazy and did what he wanted with the little amount of money he got. He demanded that everyone else pay for what he needed and that they take care of him.
What happened? The first man had more than half of his money taken from him to pay for the second man living because the second man didn’t want to do anything. The first man believed he was empowered to become what he had become and the second man believed he was entitled to everything the first man had because of how he grew up. This is how empowerment vs entitlement becomes real.
What are your thoughts on empowerment vs entitlement?
What are your thoughts on empowerment vs entitlement? What are your beliefs on empowerment vs entitlement? Do you believe in empowerment? Do you believe that people should be entitled? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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