The Secret To Empowering Others

Empowerment is about enabling others to behave as business owners. It’s about having the necessary tools to get things done at work or anywhere else. Do you know the secret to empowering others? How do you intentionally empower those in your circle of influence?

A study by Pepperdine University of 40 of the best public companies to work for from the S&P1500 list, demonstrated a clear correlation between a culture of empowerment and their profitability. An empowered organization can move mountains. In that culture, leaders ensure their employees have all that is needed to be successful in overcoming barriers, making the right decisions, and driving success. 

Empowerment is a lifestyle that can show up in everyday moments. Here are a few examples:

• Mom asks Johnny to do a task. He struggles. Instead of impatiently taking over, Mom teaches him how to do it right.

• Tom runs into a problem with his team at work. One member, Bill, goes to Tom’s boss with the issue. Tom’s boss coaches Bill to go back and work with Tom, since Tom has the responsibility to solve the issue. 

• A soccer team leader makes a bad call on the field. It costs the team a goal. Instead of the coach shouting commands at the team leader from the sidelines, she uses it as a coaching moment to teach the leader how to strategize that move next time.

• A junior high school class is excelling above the rest of the school. When asked what’s different, the teacher shares that he creates demonstrations for all his lessons. That’s because one group learns best by reading while another learns best by seeing.

What to Avoid

One of the unconscious ways we disempower others is by demonstrating dysfunctional behaviors towards them. Dysfunctional rescuing is an unhealthy way of trying to help others.  

I was tasked to facilitate the execution of a project which involved naming products. Two members of my team had differing opinions on the name of one particular product. I started working with the two members to help them compromise. 

One member shared the issue with my leader to drum up support for his choice. My leader fell for the strategy and sent out a note to our entire group declaring the product’s name as per the individual who met with him. At that moment, he undermined my authority – without thinking of it. 

I later reminded my team leader the impact of his actions. While his intention might have been good, his action was disempowering.  There are two actions he could have taken to maintain my empowerment: redirect the unhappy team member back to me, or ask me if I needed help solving the issue.

This is just one example of unhealthy behaviors that can disempower an individual.

The Secret to Empowering Others

We need to consider many elements to ensure we empower those in our circle of influence. They tend to be similar to the elements of culture development, because that’s what we are creating. 

• Skills: There is a saying that competence breeds confidence. Empowered people are trained to get the job done with the desired quality and on schedule. 

• Communication: Empowered individuals enjoy free-flowing and two-way communication with their leader. They are given all the information necessary to accomplish the task. This includes a clear definition and all necessary information.

• Authority: An empowered individual is like a cop with a badge. They have the authority to take action. (Pro tip: Don’t just give the person authority, show support by openly acknowledging the person’s authority).

• Resources: Provide the individual with the necessary resources to properly get the right things done. There is a saying that managers get things done right, but leaders get the right things done. These resources are not only finance, staffing, and materials but also include additional tools like networks or others contacts.  

• Rewards: It’s empowering to be recognized and rewarded. Of course, we already know that rewards include more than just money. Sometimes, a simple Thank You goes a long way. 

It does not take much effort to empower those in our circle of influence at home, work, or play to enjoy the best results.  However, if we are not intentional about it, small actions we take can unintentionally strip their confidence, cause them to lose the respect of others, and disempower them. Being intentional about empowering our folks increases our probability of doing the right thing right and becoming a memorable leader to them. 

Empowered Leader Reflection

What approaches do you use to ensure you empower your employees?

Your turn. We would welcome you adding to the conversation. Would you leave a comment below?

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