What is empowerment?

Empowerment is one of those $5.00 leadership buzzwords that gets thrown around corporate America. Leaders describe themselves and being “empowering.” Employees want to be “empowered.” But what does it all really mean? Academically we can define empowerment as instilling confidence in employees and recognizing their contributions. When you empower an employee, you provide meaning to his or her work and allow him or her to make an impact. For the empowered employee there is a feeling of competence and self-determination. In short, an empowered employee believes in his or her work, has the skills necessary to be successful, has the drive to see the work through, and makes a meaningful difference in his or her work, as well as the organization as a whole. Sounds great but what does empowerment look like in practice?   

There are a few key components that are required for a truly empowered team. First, you need to create the capabilities in your team to get the work done. Giving someone a difficult task without providing the necessary skills and resources will surely set him or her up to fail. In addition, you need to create a culture where mistakes are not just tolerated but are truly seen as opportunities to learn and grow. This needs to be balanced with the risks associated with not getting it right the first time. Don’t delegate the “bet the company” tasks and then disengage. Support your team through regular check-ins. Monitor progress so you can help to make any necessary course corrections before they become unrecoverable. One of the most important things a leader can do in an empowered organization is to build capabilities around reflecting on outcomes and learning to promote growth.

Leaders need to be careful to avoid the traps of what I call “fake” empowerment. True empowerment is about creating policies and structures that allow employees the latitude to act to provide service, correct problems, or structure work. It is about supporting growth and allowing employees the leeway to learn. Fake empowerment will undermine trust, prohibit growth, and divide a team. Do not delegate to your team and then micromanage tasks. Make sure you provide the resources, training, and support to allow the team to achieve success. Do not over rotate on mistakes or failures rather use these as teachable moments. Act as if the success belongs to the team and the failure belongs to the leader. 

So, what does it all mean and why is empowerment so important? When it comes right down to it, it is simple; empowered employees achieve greater success. Employees are embodied with a sense of ownership. More importantly, empowering your team shows them that you trust them. Ownership and trust are two key contributors to overall success. Great leaders help employees grow through empowerment and alignment of the values and beliefs of the person, with the needs of the team, and the organization overall. By doing this both the leader and the employee achieve much more than either thought would be possible. Remember, the one person who has the most impact on the empowerment of your team is you!