Great Leaders Empower Employees

According to a 2017 Gallup report on the State of the American Workplace, only 33% of employees in the US are engaged; 51% are not engaged and have not been for awhile. These people show up to work each day with little enthusiasm – do the bare minimum required and then leave. They are mentally checked out. 

How do you engage employees and make sure that they buy into the company values, vision and direction? Your leadership will determine which path they take. 

First you show them their value to the organization.

On-boarding should include talking to new staff members about the company vision and values and then showing where they fit into the company at large. Give them the big picture; it will make a huge impact!

Help them succeed and give them the tools and instructions that are necessary to get the job done well.

Does your organization have a formal orientation or on-boarding process? Make sure to talk to them about the goals and values of the organization. Let them know where they fit in and give them the tools and training they need to succeed. Let them know where to go for answers.

Once they have settled into their position, let them take responsibility and ownership.

Let them have ownership of their projects; it helps them become invested in the success of the project and the organization. Giving your staff autonomy and accountability is about trusting them with specific tasks and projects. When your employees take responsibility for their work, they feel a greater sense of accomplishment, they feel valued and they become more engaged. 

Give employees a leadership role whenever possible.

Build your employees up. It builds personal investment. Let them learn and grow in the company. A good leader finds opportunities to nurture leadership and growth in their employees. 

Acknowledge their success and mentor them when they need guidance or assistance.

Authentic praise is appreciated and should be freely given when people do a good job. Criticism is much harder to accept, even when it is deserved. A good leader holds employees accountable for their performance…  good and poor. When a project or task is subpar, ask them to help you understand what went wrong – seek their input on what went wrong and how that could be prevented moving forward. 

If you do have a disengaged employee, address it immediately.

Don’t let it continue. It can be contagious. A new employee might need additional training, a long term employee might be overburdened and a lazy employee might require a performance improvement plan. 

Empower Employees Exceed Expectations.

Set your staff up for success by giving them frequent opportunities to feel satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment in their work. Let them take the lead when and where it is possible. Praise them often, give them responsibility and hold them accountable. Your leadership will help determine their success and growth and that helps grow your business.