3 Ways To Empower Your Employees To Own Their Work
"Empowered people are crucial to any organization's success," says Dan Sanker, CEO of logistics outsourcing company CaseStack, in his post on LinkedIn. "They will go the extra mile for clients, colleagues, and the company. They are happier, more productive, and more independent, which allows the whole team to be more productive."
But how do you empower your organization? Sanker says it's all about building a culture that encourages open communication, provides plenty of context, and requires accountability.
1. Encourage open communication.
Organizations that use a formal top-down communication hierarchy make it difficult for their employees to speak up. Even if they did gather enough guts to share their opinions, they may feel like their input won't matter much. After awhile, these people may give up on speaking up.
"Create methods for direct communication," writes Sanker. "Acknowledge input. Foster an open exchange of ideas. Face facts - every idea isn't good, but you won't find the game-changers if you don't explore new concepts."
2. Provide plenty of context.
Be transparent with your employees. Tell them why you make certain decisions and what direction you're planning on taking the company.
"If we can do a better job of sharing the core values and the important business goals, we can hope to draw out team members' talents and energy," he says.
3. Require accountability.
The best way to do this is by discussing setbacks and recognizing extra efforts among your people. Why would someone want to continuously work hard if they don't think that their efforts are appreciated?
"Empowered people are confident, knowledgeable, and able to be more productive without being micromanaged or having excessive oversight," Sanker says. "They demonstrate initiative and own their work." At the end of the day, this is better for you as their superior and better for the organization as a whole.
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