A Simple Guide To Empowering Your Employees

You made it through the whirlwind holiday season. You set your organizational SMART goals during the dark days of winter. Now the days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming and somehow we’re in Q2 already. Before we start longing for the breezy days that await us at the golf course this summer, it’s time for an accountability check-in.

Throughout the month of April, we’re going to use the Four Decisions (People, Strategy, Execution, Cash) to keep ourselves in check and to keep our businesses growing and profitable.

Let’s start with every organization’s most valuable asset, People. We put an enormous amount of energy into hiring the right people. Identifying the key seats your organization needs to hire, writing thoughtful and accurate job descriptions, interviewing candidates, and checking references is a huge expenditure of time and, therefore, money. Once you’ve identified the right people to fill your vacant seats, the real work begins. Never neglect your number 1 job as a leader: creating more leaders.

 How do you create leaders? The first step is to empower people.

Empowering People Looks Like…

Asking Questions

A simple way to empower people is to ask questions instead of just providing the answers.

Coaching people to find the answers for themselves provides them with satisfaction and growth - and it takes something off your plate. It’s a win-win. A great example of this in practice came from a colleague of mine. He aspired to ask 5 questions for every 1 statement he made to his staff. How do you think your people would respond to this?

Providing Flexibility

The last thing your organization needs is to lose good people because you demand they adhere to a rigid work schedule that was popularized almost 100 years ago.

Times have obviously changed and so have we. Working remotely, long mid-day breaks to go to a yoga or spin class, shorter workdays to accommodate taking the kids to and from school are a part of the modern workday. You’ve put in the work to hire the right people, so there’s no need to watch the clock. Let their career suit their lifestyle and watch them flourish.

Being a Coach

A coach can’t score points from the sidelines, but we never doubt their importance to the team’s success.

A coach’s job is to help people develop skills and to put those people in the right positions so they will be successful. We already touched on the importance of asking questions and this is a key part of being a good coach. It’s also important to know which players work best together. As you coach your team, you will gain a greater understanding of how your team’s skills complement each other. The puzzle pieces will start to fall into place and your team will start performing like champions.

Empowering People DOES NOT Look Like…

Tolerating Under-performers

Instead of settling for someone being a solid “B” performer, ask yourself “how can I coach this “B” into an “A”?

They might not have clear expectations of what success looks like in their role. Or, they might be undertrained or not working with colleagues who complement their skills. Whatever the case may be, if the same person keeps coming up in conversations less than favourably, you need to get to the bottom of it.

Firing slowly.

The phrase “hire slowly, fire quickly” rings true - nothing can bring a team down more than having someone over-stay their welcome in the workplace.

It’s never the desired outcome, but when you identify a non-performer who doesn’t respond to coaching - you need to create an exit strategy for them ASAP. They might be smart, capable people, but they aren’t in the right role. Don’t be tempted to create a role for this person - you know what your organization needs because you spend a lot of time identifying gaps and creating job descriptions. At the end of the day, you are both better off parting ways.

Not Knowing What People are Worth

Not having well-thought-out pay scales can lead to dissatisfaction and underperforming.

A well-documented salary grid can save you a lot of headaches. Not only does it help you be aware of the investment you are making in particular people, teams, and departments, it also helps you make sound decisions when you inevitably have to promote your star performers. Knowing they are compensated according to their performance and appropriately among their colleagues goes a long way to making people feel empowered.

Empowering people not only ensures productive operations, but it's also a critical part of succession planning. After all, isn’t that the goal? Get the right people in the right positions doing the right work and you can spend more days at the golf course without having to worry one bit.