Empowered people are stronger, more motivated, in all aspects of their lives, which translates well into their professional aspirations. In that same vein, people who remain unempowered possess less drive and are less likely to actively participate in both their personal and professional lives.
As an employer, it is a credit to the mentorship abilities and entrepreneurial skills of those who can serve their employees in this capacity. As a workplace, it is beneficial to created empowered employees, as they will be more productive and proactive in their duties.
To help your employees increase their feelings of self-empowerment, consider these tips:
Create a vision statement.
Part of uniting a group and motivating them to do something means giving them something to be united over, usually some kind of goal. This goal is the vision statement, and unlike a mission statement that explains a company’s “reason for being” as told by the board to the shareholders, a vision statement seeks to motivate employees. It serves to excite them about the process and the result they are all working towards.
Connect employee efforts to company efforts.
You want to make sure everyone is on the same page, and employees who feel that they are making a difference by the work they do will have an easier time making decisions that immediately line with company goals. You want to make sure your employees are motivated, yes, but you want to make sure they are driven towards the same thing.
Acknowledge effort and celebrate success.
Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and an easy, but often overlooked, way to do so is by celebrating accomplishments. Reward good behavior, such as taking initiative, and it will serve as one of the biggest tools in your arsenal as their leader. It will encourage employees to continue their good efforts and encourage others to step up and do the same. It also helps employees feel heard and valued, and to lose either of those parts of the employer-employee relationship would be a devastating blow.
Take a hands-off approach.
Which is to say, don’t micromanage. You hired people for a reason, which is to competently do their jobs, and you need to trust that that’s going to get done with you continually looking over their shoulders. Micromanaging damages relationships, morale, and sets a dangerous precedent. Although giving up control can be difficult, doing so helps build better trust and creates more confidence among all employees.
This article was originally published on AlvinHopeJohnson.net.