How Do You Empower Your Team?

by James Canada

Employee empowerment is an area that I have been involved in for many years and one that especially concerns me. The first initiative that I became involved in, with a position of responsibility, was in 1982. The term “Employee Engagement” was new at the time. Many organizations began turning to their employees for assistance with productivity and profit improvement, and consequently, sustained remarkable results.

But doing this is no easy matter. People are not truly empowered until they feel empowered. And clearly, you cannot mandate employee feelings. The challenge a business faces is to create the right environment that nurtures and allows the feeling of empowerment to flourish.

Empowerment is the feeling of being in control, not being controlled. If you or your supervisors are constantly checking on employees, explicitly or implicitly, then you are sending the wrong message. Empowerment gives your staff the ability to satisfy customer needs as they arise. It encourages them to make decisions based on an understanding of the boundaries. Each individual is valued as part of the team. Empowerment allows employees to make mistakes – but does not encourage them.

You must not try to oversell empowerment – you want to let it flourish by itself. Establishing an attitude of encouragement from management, peers, and unions is critical for success. My experience, in today’s entrepreneurial environment, teaches me that a leader or organization should strive to encourage employees to think like an owner. The loyalty that develops among the team is amazing and the support they give one another is inspiring. When you encourage them to make decisions for the good of the organization, and give them the tools to succeed, you will be amazed at what can be accomplished.

James H. Canada is managing partner/CEO for Alliance Technologies LLC, ITEN mentor and author of “Corporate to Entrepreneur: Strategies for Success.” Contact Jim at james.canada@alliancetechnologiesllc.com, 636-734-2337 or www.alliancetechnologiesllc.com.