Empowering employees is a new buzzword in the business world. But what does it really mean?
In the formal definition, empowering means “give (someone) the authority or power to do something”
How does this play out in the business world? Empowering your team is what helps move a business forward. As the business owner or manager, you can’t do it all. You shouldn’t do it all. In order to get to the place where you aren’t doing it all you have to train and give clear instructions.
You have to make sure that when you empower employees you do it in the correct way.
Empowerment is when you let your team make decisions within certain parameters. This leads to the concept of delegating appropriately.
You have to determine where your team member is at.
Here are three ways you can delegate:
- Give them a task to complete. Tell them specific, step-by-step directions on how to complete the task.
- You can tell them you need a task completed, give them loose parameters, but tell them to check in every x days.
- You tell them the task you need completed and give them the freedom to complete how want. The end result has to be what you need.
Delegating is an important part of empowering your employees. Something to be aware of; When you give your team member a task, lay out clear expectations and parameters, and determine the level of delegation, don’t come back and change it. Changing the expectations of how you delegate leads to employees feeling disempowered. A disempowered employee is worse than an employee who was never given the chance to flourish, to begin with.
Share with me! What is a positive time you have been empowered as an employee?
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Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?