UnlockingYourTeam’sPotential
Motivating and empowering employees is a vital skill for successful managers. Various studies reveal that employee empowerment promotes job satisfaction, productivity, and commitment and reduces employee turnover. According to a labour lawyer in Toronto, helping employees reach their full potential comes with challenges. Your employees have different temperamentsand come fromdiversebackgrounds. That said,yourempowering strategyshouldconsiderdiversity.
Employees’EmpowermentStrategies
Thestrategies discussedin this article can help bothseasoned and aspiring leadersempower their colleaguesto developawinningteaminthelongrun.
1.CultivatingaCultureofTrust
Thriving and healthy workplace relationships are based on trust. We can conclude that businesses that cultivate acultureoftrustarelikelytosucceed.AstudybyGreatPlacetoWorkfoundthatmostcompanieswithhigh-trust cultureshavethefollowingcharacteristics:
• Theirprofitsaretwoorthreetimestheindustryaverage;
• Theemployeeturnoverrateis50%lessthantheindustryaverage;
• Increasedemployeeengagement,productivity,andsatisfaction;
Building a culture of trust should be done by actions or, rather, leading by example. The activities required for building trust in the workplace include speaking the truth regardless of the situation, keeping your word or promises, and encouraging open dialogues to resolve conflicts. It’s not hard for employees to follow suit when employers,managers,orleaderstaketheinitiative.
2.HonestFeedback
Helping employees improve performance is a key responsibility for a leader. Most companies use various employee key performance indicators (KPI) when reviewing progress. Employees are expected to contribute to thefollowingkeyperformanceindicators:
• Revenuegrowth;
• Revenueperclient.
• Profitmargincontribution;
• Clientretention,and
• Customersatisfaction.
Balanced feedback should be provided to an employee after reviewing the KPIs mentioned above. Feedback should highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your employees. Research shows that focusing on strengths ratherthanweaknessesincreasesengagementintheworkplace.
3.ShowingEmpathy
Empathy means being able to connect with your workers emotionally. A study by Businesssolver revealed that most managers believe compassion and financial performance are linked. Additionally, 93 percent of the interviewedworkerspreferredworkingwithempatheticemployers.
By putting yourself in an employee’s shoes, you can understand their challenges and hence, appreciate their contributiontothebusiness’ssuccess.
4.EncouragingDialogueandOpenCommunication
Good communication skills are a mandatory critical soft skill for good leaders. Besides being strong communicators, leaders should be great listeners. Good communication skills can foster open dialogues between employeesand employers,managers, or supervisors. Research showsthat approachable leadersdon’t strugglewithemployeeengagement.
5.BeingPurpose-Driven
Purpose-driven businesses look at the bigger picture by having a bigger objective than their products or services. For instance, organizational strategy, competitive strategy, or a financial roadmap are critical considerations for purpose-driven businesses. The following are the key needs that should be addressed when mobilizingworkers:
• Potentialchallengesandopportunities;
• Howtoachievedesiredendgoals,and
• Howtomotivateyouremployeestoattainmaximumpotential.
According to another study, businesses that adopt a culture of collective purpose have satisfied and motivated employees and hence, are more successful. Merging the purpose and strategic vision of a business points employeesintherightdirection.Consequently,yourbusinessgainsacompetitiveedge.
6.DelegatingResponsibilities
Team effort plays a big role in the success of a business. Managers must know that effective leaders don’t do everything; they delegate what they can’t handle due to time constraints. In other words, you should have a team thatcanbetrustedwithimportanttasks,responsibilities,initiatives,orprojects.
Let your team understand what you intend to achieve and the requirements to make that happen. Providing detailedinstructionsfordelegatedtasksincreasesthelikelihoodofachievingthedesiredresults.
7.GrowthandWellness
Employee empowerment opportunities fuel growth. A LinkedIn research revealed the following statistics about employeeswhoundertaketolearnatwork:
• 47%arelesslikelytobestressed;
• 39%achieveincreasedproductivityandcareergrowth;
• 23%feeltheycanhandleadditionalresponsibilities,and
• 21% becomemoreconfidentandhappier.
Goodleadersshouldencouragetheiremployeestoseekwaysofdevelopingtheircareerstoincreasethechancesof appraisal.Pursuinganonlineprofessionalcoursecanbeagreatoptioninthiscase.
8.AwardingPerformance
Research shows that rewarding employees based on performance can motivate them and cultivate a competitive culture among colleagues. While some people don’t like being the center of attention, everyone wants to be appreciated.Somewaysofappreciatingyouremployeescaninclude:
• Promotion;
• Financialawards;
• Offeringfreegymsubscription;
• Offeringadditionalrestdaysandmore.
Employers or managers should help employees achieve their full potential regardless of the strategy adopted. Supportingemployeegrowthcanincreasetheircompetenceandproductivityandmakethemfeelvalued.