The Power of Empowerment

A lot of companies talk about empowering their people, but what does that mean, how do you do it, and why is it important for managers and the overall company?

Today I had the privilege to sit in on a training session talking about just that, empowering store managers to make informed decisions. The training group consisted of 6 or 7 Area Managers who are each responsible for 10 to 15 stores, their Regional Manager, the National Manager, and 2 People Managers. The day's events included examining the manger's thought process, discussing what empowerment is and how it can help, and a case scenario which helped them decide what activities they needed to do themselves and what they can empower their stores managers to do. I can truly say that I learned a lot, not only from the actual instruction, but also from the debates the group had.

So, what is empowerment? According to the dictionary, empowerment is "authorization: the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant." However, I think there is more to it than simply telling someone to make a decision. You have to be sure that you support the person by giving them the knowledge, training, systems, authority and trust to make the right decision on their own. The whole idea behind empowering your people is that they should know the overall vision of the company and, therefore, should be able to make the decision on what is best for Sheet Street, its shareholders, and the consumers. So, why make it difficult? Give people the tools they need to succeed and they will.

Unfortunately, it's more difficult than that. The hardest part about empowering people to make decisions is that you have to be able to trust that person to make the right decision. As human beings, we are all going to make mistakes from time to time. As the manager, how you react after someone makes a mistake can make or break the trust that you have built. Instead of reprimanding someone for making a mistake take this opportunity to help them better understand the different choices they could of made and which one has the best outcome. If people know you trust them and that you will not automatically get upset when you hear bad news then they will continue to make decisions on their own and 99% of the time they will make the right decision. 

In conclusion to the discussion, William, the National Operations Manager, instructed us to take what we learned and write a brief explanation of why we think we should empower people to make decisions. Even though I don't actually have to do the assignment, I figured I would write a short blurb on why I think empowerment is key to a successful company.

Of course, there is the obvious reason of relieving some of the day to day issues that always seem to eat up all of your time. It's easy as a manager to get caught up with the little problems that everyone comes to you for answers and by eliminating these issues it allows you to focus on the bigger picture. There is more to it though. When you empower people to make decisions they begin to see the business as their own and begin to buy into the strategy and vision behind it. When someone takes ownership they will ensure that they put the effort in to find the best solution. After all, these people are closer to the actual problem, they have more background information about the problem, and they have the resources to make the right decision. So, why do they need to contact you to ask for permission? The answer is simple, they don't. Overall, empowering people leads to a more effective and efficient company, which, in the end, adds to the company's bottom line.

I enjoyed today's training session and hope I will be able to attend more before I leave. Below is a picture of the group. Thanks, again, for letting me participate.