Leading through empowerment
Mar 04, 2020
Many leaders think delegating to others and empowering them means leaving them alone to make decisions; but successful empowerment requires involvement, it means being hands on and providing guidance, but not making the decision. Genuine empowerment requires leaders to be of service, to coach and mentor, to inspire – it means frequent, highly involved interactions, just of a different nature than the autocratic and controlling style.
Empowerment may seem difficult to achieve in many organizations due to common misconceptions or challenges. These range from the commitment coaching requires to the lack of capabilities, skills and support.
A recent McKinsey and Company article includes ways leaders can genuinely empower employees and the positive impact this approach can deliver. This isn’t a one size fits all approach and it will take time for managers and employees to develop the capabilities to empower and be empowered. The four tips below will empower others and improve the speed and quality of decision-making:
- Provide clear rules
- Establish clear roles
- Don’t be a complicit manager
- Address culture and skills
Why should I care?
These tips can encourage leaders to empower others and improve the speed and quality of decision-making, resulting in an overall more successful organization.
