Empowerment Strategies for Success
Empowerment is a popular topic within leadership and management. While most people understand its value, there is often a gap in how to successfully implement it.
First, let’s take a look at what employee empowerment is. Empowerment is enabling employees to take ownership of tasks and to make decisions. It provides them with autonomy and freedom on a given project. At times it is giving them the opportunity to lead others.
Here are some of the benefits associated with empowerment.
Increase employee engagement and motivation
Improve job satisfaction
Raise innovation and creativity
Develop your team members and future leaders
Reduce turnover
Understanding how to properly empower someone is critical for success. Without the right strategies, it can lead to a variety of problems. Here are 9 strategies that are essential for empowerment.
Create a culture of growth, high performance, and trust - Having the right culture in place creates an environment where empowerment can flourish. People need to value having high-quality work and be able to trust each other.
Understand your employee’s strengths and weaknesses - In order to do this you first need to get to know them. Then empower them based on their strengths and where they can be successful.
Focus on development - Provide personal and professional development where they can grow their skills and knowledge and take on new challenges.
Communicate objectives, boundaries, and deadlines - Make sure these are clearly communicated and discussed at the beginning of the project.
Provide resources for them to be successful - Give them the tools and technology they will need within this project.
Provide ongoing support and feedback - Empowerment isn’t giving someone a task and then forgetting about it. Check-in and see how you can best support them. Provide feedback as needed and encourage them to share feedback with you as well.
Let them know you believe in them - Communicate that you trust them and believe that they will be successful.
Demonstrate appreciation - Acknowledge their efforts and work during and after the project.
Have a healthy view of mistakes - Understand that mistakes may happen with empowerment. Encourage the employee to view these as opportunities and to be focused on solutions. Emphasize to them that they are transparent and communicate these mistakes when appropriate.
Empowerment is a powerful leadership tool! By using the strategies above you are creating the conditions for your empowered team member to thrive!
