8 Tips to Empower and Encourage Your Employees
Cathie Leimbach • May 25, 2021
Do you sometimes think that your employees are doing less than you would like? You might be feeling that they are simply “showing up,” clocking in at 9:00 and out at 5:00. You would like your team to show more initiative and are uncertain how to make that happen.
Empowering your employees to be innovative, take action, and solve problems. Creating a culture where each employee is engaged and invested in doing good work helps your company’s bottom line and increases employee retention.
When employees are encouraged to take the initiative, the benefits extend far beyond the individuals. The entire team is newly motivated to work collaboratively. In addition, the spark that comes from empowering employees creates the space for some excellent work to be done. Here are some tips for creating an empowered culture.
- Delegate to develop your employees. It is easy to delegate the tactical assignments you would prefer not to be doing. Having meaningful two-way conversations with each employee, you can determine what their specific talents and interests are. Mindfully delegating responsibilities that will help them develop their abilities frees up your time and makes them stronger contributors.
- Set clear expectations. Communicate where your employees are free to act. Rather than micromanaging, permit your employees to make decisions while ensuring their choices align with company goals.
- Give your employees autonomy over their assignments. For example, it’s okay if an employee doesn’t get from point A to point B using the same means you would use. (I know, we always think our way is the best!) Empowering employees means letting them figure out, with support, how to get the results.
- Make sure your employees have the right resources. Creating a new culture takes time. Often, when you start working to empower your employees, they will still be coming to you to get answers. So instead of quickly providing the answers, offer tools, provide resources, and be a sounding board for ideas.
- Give specific, constructive feedback. Telling an employee that they did a “good job” doesn’t help them learn what they should continue to do in the future. Instead, catching them doing things right and telling them where they are succeeding helps them to continue to develop those skills.
- Accept ideas and input. Some of the best ideas come from the people doing the work. Involve your employees as much as possible in decision-making and goal setting. Not only does it help empower employees, but you are also likely to receive some value-adding ideas.
- See “mistakes” as opportunities to learn, not failure. Nothing shuts down employee initiative faster than creating a culture where everyone fears getting ‘in trouble” for making a mistake. Instead of the blame game, treat mistakes as a great learning experience for future improvement.
- Recognize employees for their hard work. Studies show that almost 65% of employees who are routinely appreciated are unlikely to look for a new job within the next six months. In addition, 40% of employees report putting more effort into their position if they are routinely recognized. It will also encourage them to continue being innovative, take action, and solve problems.
Creating a culture of empowered employees means you get your “dream team” of knowledgeable professionals who take the initiative and use their skills to help the company. Sounds pretty good, right?
“The same production line’s data is late again,” someone said. “Are we just supposed to keep begging for it?” Maya looked up. Two employees had stopped their own work to help track down the data missing from the weekly report to headquarters. She knew there had been delays. She hadn’t paid attention to how often or what happened when the data came in late. Each Friday, John sent the report out, and Maya moved on. Her team hadn’t moved on. They were tired of disrupting their own work to address the same problem week after week. The Symptom Late work. Repeated mistakes. People asking why they should bother when others don’t do their part. When there is a pattern of leaders letting missed deadlines slide, employees notice. Silence can leave people thinking that missed commitments are acceptable, even when that isn’t what the leader intends. Monitoring performance gives leaders a clearer picture of what is happening—and something specific to discuss with those involved. The Tip Here are three steps to noticing problems and sharing your performance concerns. Track the data. Look at information tied to the work, such as deadlines and errors. Maya could track how often data for the weekly reports arrived late. Walk around. Spend time where the work happens. Notice what people are doing and how one person’s work affects another’s. Maya saw two employees put their work aside to finish someone else’s task. Share what you find. Bring the facts and your observations to the attention of the person involved. Maya could say: “Your weekly production data was submitted late three of the last four weeks. Today, I saw Lee and Sam stop their work to get the raw data and do the analysis.” That makes it clear to the employee that submitting data late is not acceptable. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ Is there a pattern at your workplace that you’ve noticed but haven’t addressed? Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on November 16 to discuss addressing performance concerns. Bring a situation you’ve been letting slide. Reserve your place HERE
"When you get a chance." Kelly meant Wednesday. Alex heard next week. The report needed fixing. Alex had said he'd take care of it. So, when she opened the file before Thursday's meeting, she expected to see the changes. They weren't there. "I thought you meant next week," Alex said. "And I wasn't sure which sections you wanted changed." Kelly was frustrated. This wasn't the first time something had slipped. But as she replayed their conversation, she remembered what she'd actually said: "Can you tidy this up when you get a chance?" She had a deadline in mind. She knew exactly what needed changing. She hadn't told Alex either one. The Symptom Missed deadlines. Quiet resentment. The thought, "This isn't the first time." It's hard to hold someone accountable for an expectation that was never stated. Too often, when a leader’s expectation isn’t met, they think, "my team members just don't follow through" or "I shouldn't have to chase people." Yet, the problem is often that the leader didn’t communicate clearly. Requests like "Keep me updated," "Make this a priority", and "Be more proactive" may feel clear in your mind when you say it. But others may leave the conversation with a very different picture in their mind. Then, leaders are frustrated when the result doesn't match their intention. The Tip Healthy accountability starts with a shared understanding of what needs to happen. It continues when you follow up on what was agreed to. Before you finish your next conversation about a task, make sure you've settled four things: What needs doing What the desired result includes Who will do it When it is to be done by After you have clearly stated your expectations, ask the other person to state the specifics of the assignment. Give them an opportunity to raise questions or discuss competing demands. Kelly could have said: "Alex, please update the sales figures and add a short summary of what's changed since last month. I need it by Wednesday, October 28, at 3:00 pm so I can review it before Thursday's meeting. To be sure I explained the task well enough, please state what I asked you to do.” “What challenges might get in the way?" Then agree on what happens if a problem comes up: "If that timing looks too tight, let me know by Tuesday so we can work out the next step." Now there's a commitment you can both refer to. If Wednesday comes and the report isn't ready, Kelly can address it directly: "We agreed it would be ready by 3:00 today, and I haven't received it. What happened?" Clarity won't prevent every missed deadline. But it increases the chances that everyone is on the same page – and that your expectations will be met. When leaders make expectations clear and are open to employee questions and concerns, accountability becomes part of how the team works. Quality results become the norm. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ Do you wonder how to make your expectations clearer or how to avoid frustration when holding others accountable? Join Us on November 16 Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on November 16 to practice setting clear expectations and following up when things slip. You could also have a chance to practice difficult conversations within your team. Reserve your place → HERE
