By definition, employee empowerment is giving your staff the freedom to make decisions without the authority of a manager, after they have been properly trained. Make no mistake, abdicating responsibility to employees because you are too busy, too lazy, or too important to do it yourself is not empowerment – that’s what we call “dumping”.
While true employee empowerment comes with many valuable benefits, few leaders use it as a means of raising the bar and driving excellence within their team. So, why don’t managers empower their employees? Well there are four fundamental reasons:
1. They are too busy. Too often managers are so involved in “doing the work”, that they lose sight of the fact that they may very well have a team of talented employees who can perform those duties with just a little coaching and direction – freeing you up to be the visionary leader you aspire to be.
2. They think it takes too much time. Many managers feel that in the time it takes them to train an employee on a new task, they could have very well taken care of it themselves. Unfortunately, this is short-sided thinking because your employees “never learn to fish” this way, and must continually interrupt you for insignificant matters that they should be capable of resolving on their own.
3. They think it’s too risky. Some managers are fearful their employees will make costly mistakes; in essence these managers are unwilling and afraid to take the risk. They don’t want to suffer the consequences of a poorly executed decision, even if it is a valuable learning experience for the employee.
4. They are secretly intimidated. Some managers question, “what if the employee makes a decision that makes them look smarter than me?” These type managers don’t want to arouse any movers or shakers within the department; thus, mediocre to marginal employee performance is just fine and the most they get out of the team.
So, if you have noticed that your boss rarely empowers you to make decisions or delegates challenging tasks to you, there may be an underlying reason. On the other hand, if you are the boss who rarely empowers the staff to handle routine issues within the department, you might identify with our top four reasons outlined above.
Bottom-line, creating and sustaining a culture of excellence cannot be achieved without fully engaged employees who feel a part of the organization, and feel that they are truly valued contributors to the success of the organization. For tips and coaching strategies for properly empowering your team, effectively delegating new tasks, and gaining back your valuable time, check out some of the best practices we have posted on our website.
Delegation, Empowerment & Time Management http://psbydesign.com/images/articles/TimeManagementJuly09.pdf
Cultivating Employee Empowerment
http://psbydesign.com/images/articles/PSBD_Newsletter_Oct08.pdf
While true employee empowerment comes with many valuable benefits, few leaders use it as a means of raising the bar and driving excellence within their team. So, why don’t managers empower their employees? Well there are four fundamental reasons:
1. They are too busy. Too often managers are so involved in “doing the work”, that they lose sight of the fact that they may very well have a team of talented employees who can perform those duties with just a little coaching and direction – freeing you up to be the visionary leader you aspire to be.
2. They think it takes too much time. Many managers feel that in the time it takes them to train an employee on a new task, they could have very well taken care of it themselves. Unfortunately, this is short-sided thinking because your employees “never learn to fish” this way, and must continually interrupt you for insignificant matters that they should be capable of resolving on their own.
3. They think it’s too risky. Some managers are fearful their employees will make costly mistakes; in essence these managers are unwilling and afraid to take the risk. They don’t want to suffer the consequences of a poorly executed decision, even if it is a valuable learning experience for the employee.
4. They are secretly intimidated. Some managers question, “what if the employee makes a decision that makes them look smarter than me?” These type managers don’t want to arouse any movers or shakers within the department; thus, mediocre to marginal employee performance is just fine and the most they get out of the team.
So, if you have noticed that your boss rarely empowers you to make decisions or delegates challenging tasks to you, there may be an underlying reason. On the other hand, if you are the boss who rarely empowers the staff to handle routine issues within the department, you might identify with our top four reasons outlined above.
Bottom-line, creating and sustaining a culture of excellence cannot be achieved without fully engaged employees who feel a part of the organization, and feel that they are truly valued contributors to the success of the organization. For tips and coaching strategies for properly empowering your team, effectively delegating new tasks, and gaining back your valuable time, check out some of the best practices we have posted on our website.
Delegation, Empowerment & Time Management http://psbydesign.com/images/articles/TimeManagementJuly09.pdf
Cultivating Employee Empowerment
http://psbydesign.com/images/articles/PSBD_Newsletter_Oct08.pdf
