There are those who don't even like cookies at Christmas parties and those who dress from head to toe in tinsel and garlands, making the weird guy in the Mark Darcy reindeer jumper go unnoticed. But whatever each person in your organization is like, as a good leader or head of Human Resources, you must know how to empower your team. It has always been the key ingredient for a company to take off, but in a year like this, it seems more essential than ever.
What is empowerment?
It is a management strategy to provide employees with the necessary resources so that they can make good decisions without supervision. The most immediate benefits of an empowered collaborator are: greater satisfaction, more motivation, being able to delegate with confidence and more innovation.
Perhaps, since it is such a fashionable term, you thought that empowering yourself is wearing really high heels or eating wasabi without crying, but no, or maybe yes!
An empowered collaborator has enough motivation and freedom to focus on their talent and turn it into a purpose. And this can only be achieved by a leader. So here we go:
Five keys to empower your team
1. Create a strengths-based culture
Allowing each person to use their strengths builds trust. Additionally, employees who use their strengths on a daily basis are 8% more productive. So, when you delegate tasks, do it thinking about the strengths of each collaborator. But be careful, do not assume that you know them all, perhaps they are not aware of the strengths they have or they simply do not like them at all. Knowing your team will help you lead more effectively. Rely on the latest assessment report while keeping an eye on the self-assessment to make sure.
2. Replace old hierarchies
SpongeBob's job satisfaction with a boss as caring and overbearing as Mr. Krabs is a pretty toxic utopia. It is obvious that negative leadership and a lack of organizational culture are killing companies that were previously unaffected by a lack of integrity.
Hierarchical leadership structures are becoming outdated and losing their workforce fast. The millennials value the concept of organizational culture more than any other generation. This increases the need to adapt to a way of leading, how about trying and opening up to netarchy?
3. Be flexible, my friend
"Shit happens" and this 2020 has been an impeccable demonstration. Always be flexible and do it even more depending on how things are happening. There does not always have to be the same schedule for everyone, not all people have the same needs or preferences. Perhaps some of your collaborators are more productive or creative in the morning and others at night.
Teleworking is already a must so we ignore it, but don't even think about sending your team to the office if sanitary conditions are not guaranteed! This year the templates have shown that, with the necessary resources, remote work is effective.
4. Mentor
Instead of issuing orders, train and teach your team, help them reach their potential, help them achieve their goals. The worst that can happen if you make mentoring a priority is that you will retain talent and improve productivity.
5. The Silicon Valley Effect
Apparently, Silicon Valley apples do not have innovative properties. However, it is the global epicenter of creativity and boasts the best talent in the world. Why? The roots of its success lie in its adoption of a organizational culture that is positive, open and in which the free exchange of ideas is promoted. And be careful, because this organizational culture is maintained regardless of business growth.
Are you clear about the objective? Great, share it! Once each team member is clear, allow them to come forth with freedom of movement, of ideas. This will allow creativity to flow from all corners.
The concept of empowerment has become a bit of a hackneyed term, but it is essential for any organization committed to development. Empowering employees only generates positive results, increasing engagement, productivity, and motivation. And don't deny it, ending micromanagement also helps Leaders get rid of their daily stress. Everyone wins!
At Hrider we are clear about it, we want all our clients to have an empowered and autonomous team, therefore, with our tool they can always evaluate how the progress of each employee is going, measure their potential and know in real time the satisfaction of their team .
Happy Holidays and Happy Talent Management!
Hit Play and don't miss our list of songs that can't be missed at Christmas.