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Every great leader knows how to empower their workforce. Every leader hires individuals to perform a certain task. But what often happens is the leader finds themselves at odds with the process of achieving the task. What I mean is that there are many minutiae involved in getting to the result. And leaders sometimes find themselves worrying more about the process each individual takes than the overall outcome.

Empowering the individual comes in many forms. It requires an ability to fully trust in the capabilities of your employee. This is a bit different than simply saying “don’t micromanage.” The true skill of empowering your labor force lies in the motivations of each individual. A good leader will take into account the subtle skill set differences in each individual and know how to cater to those differences.

Empowering your labor force means you have the ability to let your individuals shine. This is one of the hardest things to do, however, as it requires patience, empathy, critical problem solving, and time. Good leaders in general have the ability to empower their workforce, therefore increasing productivity, company atmosphere, and creating long-term employees. This characteristic in leaders proves paramount in creating strong companies.

Joe Hockett Business Development Manager RCS Construction Inc. Rapid City, S.D.

Jen Turnbow Associate Director of Civil and Transportation Ulteig Bismarck, N.D.

Integrity and vulnerability. Integrity is the foundation of building trust, doing what is best every single day for the people and the organization. This means elevating the people and organization above one’s self, one’s title and one’s personal goals.

At Ulteig, it means that you are serving the organization in a way that is respectful, genuine, truthful and transparent. If an organization has no trust in leadership, the foundation eventually crumbles. You cannot have trust in a person without believing in their integrity. Leaders do what is right and speak up even when everyone believes something different. Integrity, simply, is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Another essential characteristic is vulnerability. Allow people to know that you don’t have all the answers. Allow people to see beyond the title, beyond the hierarchy, and that you are human. Vulnerability builds trust. It also leads to empathy and understanding, which are two core traits of a healthy culture.