Start here to empower your team, even when you don’t have all the answers.
“Karin, there’s so much uncertainty these days. I feel like I’m caught in a constant wait-and-see sea of indecision. What can I do to empower my team to keep moving?” #AskingForaFriend
Lessons from Gail: Tips to Help Empower Your Team
1. Create real clarity about what matters most and why.
Although politics, people, and policies were in flux, we knew unequivocally what mattered most for our roles.
Getting the right people in the right seats.
Re-recruiting our top talent.
And, showing up as true strategic partners to ensure the business was thriving.
If what we wanted to do contributed to one of those priorities, we knew we had a green light.
2. Articulate parameters and boundaries for decision-making.
When you’re working to empower your team, be sure your team knows what kinds of decisions you expect them to make and which are out of bounds. (Our free strategic empowerment tool makes this easy). For example, Gail was clear about which decisions we needed to include our finance partners and which did not. And, also the kinds of decisions that might add to the chaos.
3. Encourage your team to challenge and empower one another.
Empowerment can feel scary. It’s easier to wait for permission so there’s someone else to blame as things go wrong. Gail made it crystal clear that this is the way we do things around here. So, she would say things like, “Go ask Lisa (my peer) what I’m going to say about this idea.” And of course, she knew Lisa would smile and say, “Where there is chaos seize control.” And then, ask me the questions Gail would.
When Gail retired, I took over a good portion of her role. That was one of the easiest leadership transitions I’ve ever made, because the team already was empowered to “seize control” as needed, and I could focus on the more strategic elements of the role.
4. Help your team fail forward.
As you can imagine, when you truly empower your team, sometimes they’re going to really screw it up. I know I did. What happens next matters more than just about anything else if you want your team to stay empowered in the future.
Another of Gail’s favorite phrases, was, “Well, we certainly learned something from this one, right? The good news is you’ll never do THAT again, will you?” All said with a friendly smile.
5. Celebrate the empowered behaviors, not just the outcomes.
Although it was over two decades ago, I clearly remember Gail’s staff meetings where she would call us out, “Karin tell them what you did … and exactly how you did it.” Sometimes, she would laugh and say, “I’m not sure it’s going to work, but it’s one heck of a plan.”
You get more of what you encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore. If you want to empower your team, call out the empowered behaviors you want to see more.
Your turn.
Have you ever worked for an empowering leader like Gail? What are your best practices to empower your team?
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