God gave me two gifts: he made me ambitious and lazy in equal measures. So, I want to build empires but I don’t want to do it myself. This is only possible if you empower your staff.
To me, it means delegation of responsibility to deliver an outcome and provision of any support and training needed to make sure the job gets done.
It doesn’t mean giving somebody a task and then hovering over their shoulders. This isn’t scalable and it demotivates people. It screams “I don’t trust you”.
Empowerment in three rules: –
- Ensure the person you’re delegating to can achieve what you want and decide if they require additional coaching and support.
- Define what success looks like and any constraints involved, such as a deadline or a budget.
- Agree when you will meet to review progress and stick to it!
Real empowerment results in higher levels of motivation and job satisfaction.
People will astound you with what they can do if you give them the opportunity!
Great post Mike, it is easy to slip into old habits.
I think you’re right Carl. All of us can forget the basics from time to time – especially me! Thanks for your comment.