Are you tired and overwhelmed? Do you feel like you have too much on your plate? Do you lead a large organization, a small business or just a team of some sort? What do you need to do in order to get some of the work off your plate? . . . Empower others.
What is empowerment though? Is this simply handing off an assignment or task to someone else and telling them “just do it.”? Actually that is what I would call “dumping.” Dumping is the boss who doesn’t want to do a certain task and simply hands it off to someone else with no explanation why or how it fits into the bigger picture. Some bosses are experts at dumping stuff off their plate onto those they lead with no support or vision for the task.
In talking recently with some small business owners we discussed this concept of dumping versus empowering and they came up with a few principles that demonstrate a leader is trying to empower and not just dump.
- Intention – when a leader is handing off a task to someone else they should take time to explain why they are giving the individual this responsibility. Maybe by someone else doing this task it enables the leader to have time to help grow the business and meet the needs of more customers and employees. Another reason would be to help the individual grow through entrusting them with greater responsibility. These are only two possible intentions which the leader may have.
- Give the person power – em-power – give power to the individual. If a leader entrusts a task to someone then they need to set clear expectations with a clear vision for the bigger purpose of the task. After that, the leader needs to resource the individual with all he or she needs to accomplish the task. Clear expectations help the individual know the boundaries they are to work within and what the ultimate result looks like. Without resourcing the individual may feel he or she does not have the necessary tools for success.
- Gratitude – This may seem to be a simple concept, but simply thanking the individual up front and showing gratefulness for the time they are about to put in on the task can help improve the results you get from the person. When we are appreciated for what we do it makes us want to put greater effort into our work.
When you look at these three areas what is your intention when you give a task to someone else? How can you give more power to those you are entrusting responsibility to? What are some specific ways you can show gratitude for a person’s work? Maybe you need to take a moment and ask those you lead if they feel empowered to do their job. What action step do you need to take today?
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