PEOPLE EMPOWERING PEOPLE

Melrie Arsakularathna highlights the need for empowerment in the workplace

Leaders of the past were supposed to have all the answers, and tell their teams what to do and how to do their jobs. Theories about leadership traits distinguish leaders from non-leaders. They are based on the premise that leaders are ‘born, not made’ and leadership is innate rather than developed through learning.

But some believe that leaders are made. Leadership encompasses the quality and class that a leader brings to the table, self-made professional characteristics, and some basic dos and don’ts in enabling teams to thrive in the ever-changing world of business.

Organisations are experiencing plummeting employee morale; and many a time, they’re in search of leaders who can empower and nurture people, and help businesses grow.

Empowerment means someone is enabled to make decisions and take responsibility for them. The level of empowerment and authority vested in people is crucial for the success of any company.

So how do we go about instilling some guileless magic of empowerment in the workplace?

COOPERATE Leaders must engage their teams where the big picture is concerned, listen with empathy, understand how their ideas can fit the business context, provide feedback, show them a path to work on and value their input.

Having access to everyone’s ideas, knowledge and competencies makes for a diversified team with the potential for high performance.

BE OPTIMISTIC Teammates turn to leaders for positivity so it’s necessary to maintain a sense of optimism because the emotions and vibes exuded will have an effect.

Showing up as an enthusiastic person for any activity enables team members to see that being around their leader will keep them motivated. Being positively contagious means infecting others with positivity and goodwill.

EMPOWER OTHERS Good leaders leave nobody behind them; they must understand teammates’ strengths and weaknesses in deploying what they can deliver best, and trust they can do the job rather than being at their heels and telling them what to do.

ZONE OF GENIUS An individual’s strengths may not be what he or she directly contributes to a task. Rather, those skills may be what the person has harnessed throughout his or her career.

Leaders should allow such teammates to explore other avenues instead of enabling them to only derive the best from their present skill set. Helping them find hidden talent will be an empowering experience.

COMMUNICATE Speaking to all teammates about their careers is important to show that leaders care about their progression and will encourage them to get to where they want. This entails discussing timelines, skills they want to acquire and their aspirations beyond the job.

There are times when people lose sight of where they want to be – instead, they become comfortable with where they are.

DON’T OFFER SOLUTIONS When empowering teammates, leaders shouldn’t offer answers to each query. Telling them what to do undermines the idea of empowerment.

Instead, leaders need to guide people and let them find themselves when solving issues. This means providing opportunities to be proactive and helping them be more engaged in their work or the benefits of self-discovery will be offset.

OFFER SUPPORT It’s important to support employees through their struggles and successes. Recognising and valuing them in front of a crowd is not only empowering; it enables them to feel motivated and strive to do better while showing others the rewards of a job well done.

It is also vital to reassure teammates that they are trusted with allocated tasks. And leaders must take the time to identify the root cause of employees’ struggles – empowerment doesn’t mean doing the job for team members but helping them overcome obstacles.

DON’T MICROMANAGE Micromanagement is the ultimate controlling management style. When leaders feel like everything needs to go according to their plan, it can destroy team members’ morale and is demoralising in the long run.

Leaders must always provide teams with the space and time to do their tasks, which demonstrates trust. Empowerment also means encouraging self-discipline in teammates.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE People have different traits and personalities so they might not approach tasks in similar ways. As such, it’s better to show them what to do rather than provide instructions.

Showing people how certain things should be done is effective. For example, if leaders want their teams to be on time for meetings, they should be punctual as well.

SHOW APPRECIATION A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way. Basic courtesy and valuing the team are important in encouraging and empowering people.

No matter how small the task, leaders must make sure they show gratitude to teammates. This is a great way to build good working relationships, gain trust and affirm emplo-yees’ commitment.