Trusting. Affirming. Encouraging. These are the descriptions of the dream boss everyone wishes to have. If you are an employer, these can be the qualities that you have. You can be the leader of a team that is thriving and healthy, and where everybody feels valued. Want to know more about how to empower your employees so that they are passionate and content in their jobs? Read on to find out!
Key Takeaways
- Empowerment is the granting of power to someone and in turn making them powerful
- Building an empowering and nurturing environment in your workplace can ensure the happiness and wellbeing of your employees, which will benefit your team or company
- Ways to empower your employees include investing in their growth, taking time to mentor them, being open to communicating, delegating more, allowing mistakes, giving incentives, and encouraging creativity
What is empowerment?
Empowerment means giving power. It is the validating of one’s authority – a green light for them to do something within their scope of autonomy. But it isn’t just limited to someone’s function. It can also be aimed at their well-being. An empowered person is appreciated, believed in, and respected. An empowered person is a powerful person.
Why should employers empower their employees?
If you’re an employer, you may have flinched at my definition of an empowered person. “Powerful?” You may ask, “Why would I want my employees to be powerful? Why should I empower my employees when I only want them to do their jobs?”
The thing is, you don’t just want them to do their jobs. You want your employees to own their jobs. You want them to be happy because a satisfied person is an asset to the team. When an employee feels confident, seen, and treasured, you will then truly have someone who will go the extra mile to perform well in their role. You will have the chance to start building a team that doesn’t just fulfill tasks but can excel, and tackles any obstacles that come their way.
The following are 7 ways to empower your employees to be the best versions of themselves.
7 Ways to Empower Your Employees
1. Investing In Them
Everyone thrives when they are seen as important. Don’t just think of your employees as people who finish tasks for the company. On the contrary, empower them by investing in their growth. Set apart time for staff development days to strengthen teamwork. Pay for them to attend training courses where they can cultivate their work skills. Let your aim be to help them succeed as well. A selfless boss is a well-loved boss.
2. Place Value on Mentorship
Be a mentor and coach to your employees by being transparent about your journey, your keys to success, and your failures as well. Seize every opportunity on the job to teach them about the skills of the trade. Be generous with your time. Use it to build strong professional relationships with your employees, for it will become a firm foundation for your company.
3. Be Open to Communicating
Be a communication guru! Always remind yourself to give space to listen to what your staff has to say. Be humble enough to receive constructive criticism from the people you lead. Be available and open when they come to you for advice. Make sure that there are multiple channels of communication that are always open for employees to give feedback and valuable opinion. A good connection is key to building a great team!
4. More Delegation
When it comes to delegation, don’t just delegate tasks and jobs. Instead, empower your employees by giving chances for them to be responsible for entire projects. Allow them to take charge and make decisions. Know that they learn and grow the fastest when they are given the freedom to explore their own style of leadership. Raise leaders and not just followers!
5. Allow Mistakes
The by-product of giving more autonomy is the chance that your employees will make mistakes. Making mistakes is actually a process of learning! Your company will never excel with a whole team of people who just “play it safe”. Don’t punish mistakes, and discourage finger-pointing. Alternatively, nurture a culture of debriefing as a team. Encourage everyone to own up together and let them find a better way of doing things next time. This is how they will then truly grow as a whole.
6. Give More Incentive
Show your employees that you care about their wellbeing by offering more day-offs, letting them have their early Fridays, and showing your gratitude by giving the occasional appreciation card. Make the extra effort to empower them by creating a positive environment for your staff. Focus on what they have achieved rather than what is lacking. This kind of healthy atmosphere will make sure that the people under you will not burn out but will flourish. You will be amazed at how much more productive a well-rested team can be!
7. Encourage Creativity
The most successful people in business are those who dared to think out of the box and blaze a new path. Allow your employees to do the same! Give space for new and innovative ideas, just because! (Whether the idea works or not is another question.) Reward progressiveness and encourage a pioneering spirit within your line of trade. Who knows? Maybe even you might have the chance to learn a new way of doing things!
Watch this video to have more ideas on how to empower your employees so that they can be more productive!
