How to Empower Employees
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As managers, we strive to create an environment where our team members feel engaged, motivated, and empowered to grow. One effective way to achieve this is by offering a sense of autonomy and control through the power of choice, while ensuring that any choice made aligns with the manager's desired outcomes.
The Concept
The concept is simple: provide team members with a range of suitable projects or tasks to choose from, all of which align with the manager's desired outcomes. This approach allows individuals to take ownership of their work, making them more invested in the outcome.
Why it Works
By offering a choice, we tap into the psychological principles of autonomy and control. Studies have shown that when individuals feel they have a say in their work, they become more motivated and engaged. This approach also encourages skill development, as team members learn to scope, plan, and communicate effectively within a safe framework of options that align with organizational goals.
A Universal Example: Teenagers and Choices
Consider a group of teenagers given the task of organizing a community event. If the adult supervisors assign each teen a specific role without input, the teens might complete their tasks but with little enthusiasm. However, if the supervisors present a list of tasks—all contributing to the event's success—and allow the teens to choose what interests them most, whether it's managing the social media campaign, coordinating with vendors, or designing promotional materials, the teens are more likely to take ownership and excel. This sense of autonomy makes them more invested in the success of the event, and they develop valuable skills along the way. This example underscores how the power of choice can drive engagement and motivation while ensuring the event's success.
Applying the Power of Choice
To apply this principle, follow these steps:
Empower Team Members: Give experienced team members the autonomy to determine their own projects and tasks from a curated list that aligns with the manager’s desired outcomes, leveraging their expertise and context.
Guide Development: For junior team members or those needing additional support, offer a selection of suitable options that all meet the desired outcomes, outlining pros and cons for each. This enables them to make informed decisions and take ownership of their work.
Tailor Challenges: Ensure that the options provided are appropriately challenging and aligned with organizational goals, allowing team members to grow and develop their skills while maintaining a sense of control and agency.
Examples Across Roles
Engineering: Experienced engineers can lead project selection and planning from a list of projects that meet the team's objectives, while junior engineers can choose from a range of projects with varying levels of complexity that contribute to the overall goals.
Customer Service: Empower experienced customer support agents to choose the type of customer issues they want to tackle, ensuring all options improve customer satisfaction, and provide junior agents with a selection of customer cases to resolve, each contributing to key performance metrics.
Sales: Allow experienced sales representatives to choose their own sales targets and strategies from a range of options that align with company goals, and provide junior sales representatives with a range of sales pitches and objection handling techniques to choose from, all designed to boost sales performance.
Benefits
Increased Motivation and Engagement: By giving team members a sense of control over their work, they become more motivated and engaged, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction.
Improved Skill Development: Allowing team members to choose tasks that interest them encourages continuous learning and skill development.
Enhanced Sense of Ownership and Accountability: When team members choose their tasks, they feel a greater sense of ownership and responsibility for the outcome.
Encourages Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Making informed decisions about which tasks to undertake fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Alignment with Organizational Goals: By providing choices that align with the manager’s desired outcomes, this approach ensures that all efforts contribute to the organization’s objectives.
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