EMPOWER TEAM MEMBERS TO BE THEIR BEST

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

– Lao Tzu, 4th century b.c.

Are you ready to have a more positive impact? Would you like to be the one to empower others in your life to be their best?

So, what's in it for you, as a leader, to empower your team? Well, for starters, you won't spend nearly as much time checking up on people, putting out fires, or lighting fires under people who are having trouble getting going.

You see, when people feel empowered, they will be at their best and get their best results. When your team is running smoothly and each person feels empowered to do their own tasks, it frees you up to do what you're supposed to be doing – which is to be the best leader you can be.

Here are five simple steps to get you started:

1. Start with a common vision.

It is vitally important to have a clear vision of what you are doing and why. This is true for both personal and business ventures. Your vision can guide your decisions as well as your directions to others.

Once you know your vision and you're using it as your guidance system, empower your group by describing the vision to them and invite their input. Paint a picture of your vision in full, living color, so that they can be just as committed to it as you are. As the English Evangelist John Wesley wrote, "Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn."

When you have a common vision, you will also have clearer communication and a shared language so that your group members feel included in the vision.

2. Expect their best.

When you approach people with the attitude that you expect them to succeed, they will usually rise to meet your expectations (unfortunately, the opposite is also true). If you can grant a level of trust and responsibility and give your group members the benefit of the doubt, they will feel empowered to do their best.

This does require a shift from you, and it's sometimes quite a deep one. You may need to let go of some control, challenge your preconceptions, and have faith in results that you haven't seen yet.

Give yourself permission to try this, trusting that you can always make adjustments or grab back some control (but only if you absolutely need to). Let them make a few mistakes and help them to correct them rather solving them yourself.

3. Personalize your approach.

It's quite easy – and common – to assume that your group members will be motivated by the same types of rewards, praise, directions, and rationales that you are. Yet this isn't usually the case.

You don't need to spend hours agonizing over everyone’s individual problems or get personally involved in every detail of their lives, but get to know your group members well enough that you will be able to use motivators that are meaningful to each individual person. This is one area where our use of the Birkman Method has been invaluable. Knowing that you care about them and their development is the most powerful way to engage your team in the vision.

A personal approach will also help to ensure that the right person is always working on the right task, not only for the success of the team but also for heir opportunity to learn and grow towards their own future success.

4. Ask for feedback.

More than an “open door” policy that says you're available, show that you're actually interested and curious. Ask people for informal, spontaneous feedback and listen to their answers. Ask them to write down their ideas and have somewhere to store them where they're organized, visible to other team members and easy to retrieve.

Ask about what the group is working on together, but also ask specifically about your leadership, e.g., "What did you find useful about that meeting?" "How can I make my directions more useful?" "Is there anything else you need from me that would help you complete those tasks?"

You never know when the combination of an open-door policy and open-ended questions could inspire the next great idea that will propel your own vision forward!

5. Adjust your course when needed.

Demonstrate to your group members that you were listening when they shared their feedback. Implement some of their suggestions, try new things and ask follow-up questions.

It is a sign of flexibility, humility, courage, and strength to open yourself up to new possibilities that you didn't think of yourself. For your group members, it will be incredibly rewarding to have someone value their opinion and ideas. Your own vulnerability is a strength too often overlooked and wasted in a world of bravado and “toughness”. For more on this phenomenon, see the HBR article “Today’s Leaders Need Vulnerability, Not Bravado” by Amy Edmondson.

The more you know

The more you know and understand about your personal values, strengths, and skills, the more you will be able to integrate these strategies into your natural leadership style.

When you empower your group members with these five strategies, you will be fulfilling your true role as a leader. After all, you have an immense opportunity and responsibility when you are leading a group of people. You will have a considerable impact on their activities in the group, the results they achieve, and their lives as a whole. Empower them to be their best, and that will free you up to be your best. Together, you will create an optimal environment for realizing your vision.

What steps have you taken to help with improving team relationships?