Articlr

Have you heard a manager friend complain about how they can never be gone for vacation or job-related seminars or conferences because they can’t trust their employees for that long? If so, they have not found the principal of empowerment…

When a manager feels unable to be away from their business, because they do not have capable people in place, it must be a very frustrating experience.

Empowerment – The Holy Grail Of Management

You see, most managers come from the ’shop-floor’ and find it difficult to let go of that role.

This is an insecurity issue – they feel their job is threatened if they are not the one making the call.

It’s a two-fold problem, it leaves all the critical answers in the lap of one person and employees are at a loss, or afraid to make a simple decision in the absence of their superior.

Employees Will “Pass The Buck” Without Empowerment

Some employees enjoy being able to say, “call back on Monday”, or “I can’t make that decision, you need to speak with the manager”.

That’s because it postpones a decision to make the customer satisfied at the moment, and may involve more work on the employee’s part, thinking out a solution or a discount maybe.

By having this sort of relationship with employees where they know the manager takes all the key steps, they will do only what they are told, which is a big burden on the manager

It’s The Manager’s Fault!

It’s easy for a manager to let this happen.

It’s quite a step to recognize that employees will evolve their capabilities when they have the trust of the manager and are allowed to do more.

Particularly for customer-facing employees, the ability to act fast and delight customers needs to be a given in any business.

Customers Love Employee Empowerment!

The customer is waiting for the “manager isn’t here”, and when he gets it, becomes extremely irritated.

They can see it as a stalling technique and is more likely to require more costly remedies for the problem the customer has.

When a manager finds themself in this situation, he faces an irate customer and an employee who expects them to find in their favor, not the customers.

Capable Employees Are Good For managers

The truth is, a manager is only as good as the power they give their employees.

By giving employees the capacity to act on the manager’s behalf they will benefit incredibly with that level of trust.

Having the knowledge that whatever happens, they will be fully backed up frees them to be creative and happy with their new responsibilities.

This is precisely the way that the very best managers gradually release what they do into the increasingly capable hands of members of their team

Empowerment Is Good For All

Of course, when a manager has been used to keeping every tricky decision to themselves, it’s a bit of a fear to let things go – and it can be one of the best things they can learn to do.

Their people start to feel that they are contributing more fully and, perhaps most importantly, recognize that they can personally make a difference to the success of the organization.

A manager who unleashes the potential of their people in this way will achieve a fulfilment of their own possibilities and that of those in their care too.

Any Manager Will Value Empowerment Skills

It’s an amazing experience as a manager when you turn someone on to the hidden capabilities they have within them already.

They begin to reach a level of management development that all managers should desire-a staff that can exist without them.