Empowering your team

Many years ago, when my experience was modest and my confidence not that much greater, I was asked by my boss in the IT department of a Fortune 100 company to visit their vendor, a software product company, for a day. My employer had decided to implement their enterprise sales software and my task was to review their code and its accompanying documentation. The early morning drive there was swift and scenic and the people who received me were hospitable and happy to explain their code. The software was large and complex and the documentation a work-in-progress; a single day just wouldn’t be enough for me, or anyone for that matter, to understand it well. Upon my return, when my boss asked me if I was ready to start supporting the application, despite my misgivings, I said yes. It was by accident, not design, that nothing catastrophic happened on my watch in the next few months.

A few years later, when I was in a similar role in a large financial company, I was given a suite of programs that needed to “go live”. My job was to review the code and put them on the queue for the weekly deployment into Production. The developer, a senior employee, stopped by my desk to tell me that the users were waiting for this new functionality and that it was “business critical”. Her meaning was clear: I’d better not screw up this software release in any way. I remember my careful response, “I shall give it my highest priority.” When I reviewed the code later that day, I saw that it was poorly written and that I could not promote, or approve, its deployment. I knew that the situation needed to be handled with tact. Not wanting my boss to hear about my decision from anyone else, I called him first. He agreed with me and asked me to give the developer’s boss a heads-up; he would have to inform the business immediately and manage their expectations. He too agreed with my decision. I then picked up the phone and called the developer; I wanted to tell her the bad news myself. I felt empowered to do my job and I did it without anxiety.

I clearly lacked this feeling of empowerment in the first incident I describe above. In the second incident, I was confident that I was doing the right thing. I also knew that my leaders had my back. More than two decades later, I am still grateful for their support. Strong leaders want their team members to be empowered to take decisions independently and demonstrate ownership. They create an environment of empowerment in their team when they:

• Delegate. This demonstrates trust and prepares your team members for the next level of responsibility. You will also find more time for doing what’s important for your organization and your own growth.
• Avoid micromanaging. While you should know what is going on (a regular scheduled review of their work will help), constantly looking over your team’s shoulders will cause resentment and an erosion of belief in your leadership.
• Offer support. Tell them that you are available if ever needed. Mentor them through constructive, timely feedback if they make mistakes. When they make the right decisions, stand by them. Knowing you have their back will inspire their confidence and loyalty.
• Reward initiative. Appreciating your team’s efforts even when mistakes are made or when the results are modest will tell them that showing courage and taking the initiative are valued and desirable behaviours.
• Let them know what’s in it for them. Being empowered is an essential leadership trait, one that determines promotions and higher responsibilities in a very large way.

I was once told by a leader that our job is to grow leaders. Empowering our team members can be a great first step. What are you doing to empower your team? I’d love to hear from you.