Power To Your People

As a relatively young manager I had all the answers. Going into a new role I knew exactly how I was going to improve processes; which KPIs I was going to benchmark and then blow away; I had my 1-year targets, 3-year objectives and 5-year goals. That was how I thought about it all. Only to flop and fail. I mean, it wasn't even close. I told my team how we were going to change everything and what our new goals were and gave them timelines on when I expected us to get there. What I didn't do was take any time to understand what my team needed. I didn't fully understand their strengths and opportunities, and ultimately I didn't empower them to own their area of the business and make it better. 

The empowerment piece was probably the biggest miss. I missed an opportunity to have my team take ownership of their work and develop a sense of pride and purpose. Empowered teams are more innovative and they make decisions quickly, making them more efficient. Instead of waiting to make sure the process that was given to them is executed, they are able to find creative solutions to problems and make improvements to processes, leading to being more efficient and more competitive. 

Empowering employees ultimately creates a positive and supportive work environment. When people feel valued and trusted, they are more likely to be engaged, loyal, and committed to the organization. Here are my top four things I wish I had done differently and I encourage every leader, captain, or manager to do when it comes to empowering their team.

1. Communication: Verify that everyone knows their roles, responsibilities, and expectations for their work. This helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and has the necessary information to make informed decisions.

2. Trust: Knowing that they have the support of leaders and knowing that their decisions and actions will not be second-guessed is essential.

3. Resources: Having access to technology, training, and other tools to help them perform their tasks effectively. Organizations must be willing to invest in their employees to help them succeed.

4. Autonomy: Organizations have to establish clear guidelines and procedures to ensure that teams are working within all ethical parameters when making decisions. After being eithical and legal, teams should be trained on making the best decision possible for the organization. I recently watched this video of an interview between TMobile and Alaska Air's CEOs