10/ 17/ 2006
"Empowerment" is one of the hottest buzzwords in business these days. You hear the term everywhere. Virtually any business leader would agree that empowerment is a good thing, but when you get right down to it, what does empowerment really mean? And more importantly, how does a leader or manager actually empower people on a day-to-day basis?
Here are a few traits of empowering leaders. Display these qualities and help the employees in your small business become more effective, productive and, ultimately, empowered:
- Encourage ideas. While your leadership role might involve the exercise of authority, remember this: Authority has its limits. When you create an environment that celebrates new ideas, you stimulate innovation and high performance. How can you make this happen? Draw out the hidden thoughts of your people. Ask for help. Ask for suggestions.
- Get out of the way. Often, employees find themselves stuck in a morass of paperwork, bureaucracy or rules that inhibit them from doing their best work. Good employees bring expertise and wisdom to the table. Help them use those gifts by removing procedural trappings that prevent sound action.
- Enlist opinions. One of the most common complaints among employees is not being listened to. When you're planning a new course of action––something as significant as a new product line or as seemingly trivial as a rearrangement of the office layout––ask what your people think. The more they feel they have a say in the decision, the more they'll feel a sense of ownership about it. And ultimately, they'll feel more empowered to act productively on your behalf.
- Grant authority. There's an old maxim in business––and it's been proven time and time again––that decisions should be made at the "lowest" level possible. If you don't have to make a decision on something, then don't; let the people around you, those closest to the action, do it.
- Invite goals. Don't just set goals yourself. Ask others to set them. How? You can do it through a planning retreat. Or with the help of an outside facilitator. Or through informal discussion and debate. However you do it, involve your people in the process as much as possible.
- Redefine supervision. Supervision need not––and should not––simply mean "checking in" or "controlling" projects and tasks. When you're supervising employees, let them set the agenda for your weekly or bi-weekly supervision conferences. And then, instead of offering direction or instruction, offer suggestions and guidance.
- Celebrate mistakes. Well, no, you're never going to be happy about mistakes! But when they happen––and they will––you have an opportunity to reaffirm the intrinsic worth of your people and, with them, learn from the mistakes they make. Replace fear and recriminations with evaluation and new determination, and you'll create empowered people.
- Reward initiative. When the people around you see that you value inventiveness and ingenuity, they'll slowly but surely respond. You'll begin to notice fertile new ideas, a willingness to tackle thorny problems without being asked, a positive, upbeat spirit about the issues you face. Offer praise, recognition and tangible rewards when you see initiative abound. You'll be rewarded, in turn, with even more resourcefulness on the part of your people.
Empowerment doesn't happen by itself. First and foremost, your own attitude and actions help foster an empowering atmosphere. But you can create empowerment in other ways as well:
- Hire motivated, entrepreneurial people
- Be sure your policies explicitly value initiative and involvement
- Train the people around you in decisionmaking, planning and creative action
- Encourage open, honest communication at every turn
