Leaders Empower, Managers Don’t?
Business requires balance. To understand this with clarity, a healthy work schedule requires a dynamic relationship between the amount of time spent on cost-saving and revenue-boosting initiatives, and leaders are often guilty of overemphasizing one or the other. As Edward C. Prescott once said “You can’t spend your way to prosperity”, yet a fixation on chasing growth can also be unprofitable. The role of senior leadership is to make sure that these efforts are in proportion.
Another vital balance to achieve is between empowerment and accountability. In my more than 30 years of working for leading organisaitons, I’ve learned that employee empowerment can be a powerful tool for companies seeking to improve efficiency, innovation and employee retention, but have also learned how disastrous it can be when empowerment is not balanced with accountability.
Challenges
With years of diverse industry experience, it becomes apparent that even seasoned leaders can fall into the same trap, hindering their team’s growth by being overly protective. To address this issue, empowerment emerges as an ideal solution to let employees face the challenges and grow.
However, implementing empowerment or delegation doesn’t exist without its challenges:
- The team may feel that the leader is less available than before and sometimes feel alone.
- There may be a few failures with product releases.
- Management might notice a drop in the team’s performance.
- Power struggles could emerge within the team.
- Last-minute surprises may occur on multiple occasions.
Root Causes
In conversations with fellow leaders, some common reasons why they might get too involved, insist on being copied in all emails, attend every meeting, and remain constantly available at the office have been identified:
- Fear of failure
- Lack of trust
- Insecurity
- Difficulty in letting go
- Inadequate delegation skills
How to empower Teams?
It’s imperative to understand that no single strategy is the final word on how to empower teams at work. It will always be different for different managers and teams. Try implementing several or all the following strategies to empower your employee teams.
1. Support Your Teams
Support team empowerment by providing employees with the right tools to do their job. This means giving them the opportunities and resources needed to complete a project or another task.
Avoid micromanaging. Be clear about the final expectation rather than the means of achieving it. Give them the clarity they need, as well as the authority to implement procedures themselves.
2. Clarity of Vision & Roles
Empower the group by ensuring everyone understands the team’s goals and vision. Let each member know why you selected them for the team and define their role clearly.
Once everyone understands the expectations and their roles, then you can let them get on with the job, e.g., if you selected specific employees because of their ability to crunch numbers, let them know.
3. Invite Candid feedback
One aspect of team empowerment consists of changing the leadership-team dynamic from one of a top-down hierarchy to a dialogue. Demonstrate that you truly mean it by encouraging open and honest feedback from each team member and from the group collectively. Listen attentively and respectfully to their feedback and concerns and provide feedback of your own.
For instance, schedule a weekly meeting with the group as an opportunity for updates and feedback. Encourage your teams to talk openly but in a constructive manner and share updates relating to their areas. This way they will learn how to express and get the jobs done in a timely manner.
4. Institute an Open Office Culture
Support the team’s empowerment by instituting an open-door or an open landscape policy in your office. Having an open-door policy establishes an environment of trust and mutual respect. Employees knowing that they have someone to turn to and that their voice is heard is important for a positive work culture.
Instead of telling group members that you are approachable or your office door is open, show them and make it happen. This should encourage them to approach you with feedback or concerns at any time.
5. Up-skill Yourself
Enhance group empowerment by encouraging each member toward holistic self-improvement. Appointing them to the team probably gave them a boost of self-confidence. It showed you are confident in their abilities.
Even so, there’s always room for improvement. Motivate the group members to learn new skills that will benefit them, the group, and the company. This will encourage them to strive for growth in other areas too. For example, offer them the option to work remotely. This can give them time for other commitments, such as working on their physical well-being.
Final Word
By implementing these strategies, leaders can create a work environment that encourages autonomy, self-reliance, and growth among their team members. Additionally, they will have more time to focus on higher-level responsibilities and continue developing their own skills as leaders.
Empowerment is a crucial aspect of successful management. By reflecting on their own leadership style and focusing on effective delegation, leaders can empower their teams to achieve greater success while growing as leaders themselves. Remember, leading by letting go is the key to unlocking a team’s potential and fostering a culture of empowerment.
About the Author
Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan, Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.
