The Secret to Empowering Employees in 2024

  

 

 

 

Empowerment. It can mean lots of different things in different contexts. For our purposes here, we are talking about empowerment at work. There has been plenty written about this. According to Gallup, we know that engagement/empowerment levels aren’t where we might like them to be. 

Before we can improve the empowerment levels in our organization and team, we must know what it really is.

A Definition 

Let’s start with the source. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives us two related definitions.
 
First, empowerment is the act of granting of power, rights, or authority to perform various acts or duties. The power, right, or authority to do something. And second, the state of having the power, rights, or authority. Granting it or having it. The first definition is what many leaders focus on – “I told them they are empowered”.

But that isn’t enough.

I can tell you I'm giving you the power to do something.

But if you …

•    don't see it,
•    don't believe it,
•    or if I don't act in alignment with it, (for example, I'm telling you one thing, but acting in a different way), you won't choose to be empowered.
 
In other words, empowerment at work isn't just me granting it. It also requires that you see and accept that empowerment.
 
And until you accept it, you won't have the power, right, or authority. If you don't see it, believe it, or I don't act in that way, it's not going to work.
 
The Secret to Empowerment Means Providing Four Things
 
If I want you to accept what I am granting you, I must do four things.

1. Provide a clear expectation. You can’t accept responsibility if you don’t know what it is I am giving you. I must make clear the expectation of what I am giving you.

2. Provide a clear boundary. Here's a simple example. I tell you that your spending authority is $1,000. You now know I am empowering you to buy/approve items, but only up to the boundary of $1,000. If you don't know the boundary, you're not going to buy anything. Until you know what the boundary is, you're not going to accept anything in that arena. The boundary answers the question – What power, right, or authority am I accepting?

3. Provide support and coaching. Are we providing the resources, help, or encouragement people need to be confident in accepting what you are giving them? If any of those are missing for someone, they might not choose to be empowered. Some people are shy. Some people don't have as healthy a self-image as you might hope. Some have never been granted empowerment like this before. And for any or all those reasons, they might not have the confidence they need to accept empowerment. 

Coach your people to step into the power they already have. That is, using their brain to make good decisions in how the work will efficiently get done. You do this by asking good questions to encourage people to self-reflect. Why? Because self-reflection is the driver of personal power and ownership.

Check out a related post: How Leaders Who Ask More Leverage the Power of the Brain ( 5 min read)

Your support (and patience) and coaching can help them accept the empowerment.

4. Provide autonomy. We must let them do it and leave them alone. Give them expectations and a boundary, provide support and coaching – then let them go do it. 

The End Result 

With these four provisions, people will see, believe, and accept and the empowerment you’ve granted. They will take the power, the rights, and the authority that we have created and be empowered.

Empowerment in the workplace will only happen when the power, authority, and responsibility is both offered and accepted. Until then, there will be uncertainty, a lack of clarity, and perhaps frustration for everyone.

Questions to Ponder 

• Am I willing to let go and truly empower my team?
• What from the list above to do I need to provide more of to empower my team?

Check out a related post: Developing Accountable People By Building A Culture of Ownership

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

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