According to business magnate, software stalwart, and philanthropist Bill Gates, leaders will be those who empower others.
It is a known fact that influential leaders have always empowered their employees. With the increasing number of millennials and Gen-Z making up the workforce, this phenomenon of empowerment has become more critical than ever. The new generation of workers is not one to sit back and carry out delegated tasks like robots. They want more involvement in problem-solving and decision-making; they want to be included in the bigger picture and gear themselves up to take on more responsibility. They want to be essential to a company’s well-being and growth trajectory.
From a leader’s point of view, empowerment is critical, so their employees start to think like leaders and act like them. A leader doesn’t stay forever, but what they create will last forever, which is why empowering leaders to achieve success is all the more critical.
Here are a few ways to empower employees and groom them into being leaders, and enabling them to take charge of the professional realm:
- Don’t just delegate; make them accountable.
To empower leaders, you need to give them the freedom to think and act like one. Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv, believes in empowering his workforce by passing on accountability. Each business head at Bajaj Finserv is a P & L head, thus, responsible for their vertical’s budget, growth, workforce deployment, and operational efficiency. These future leaders are given an opportunity to build their own businesses and be entirely accountable for them. There is no better way of empowerment than providing employees respect, autonomy, and resources to show brilliance and innovative problem-solving.
2. Share your vision and offer avenues for them to contribute to that goal
Empowering leadership is not just about having a compelling vision; it is about sharing it in a way that future leaders of your company understand and relate to. They need to be aligned with the company’s vision- it should resonate with them. Allow them to contribute to the vision and incentivize their contribution. When employees understand their role in realizing a company’s vision, it makes them all the more empowered and responsible for its success. Empowering leaders has forever encouraged participation from future leaders in ways that result in something tangible and measurable.
3. Communicate with them and keep them in the loop
An empowering leader will always effectively communicate. If there are rumors floating around or your business has received some criticism, it is necessary for you as a leader to communicate with perturbed employees and reassure them that they have nothing to worry about. Similarly, if you are planning a major shift in direction, or have some revolutionary ideas, communication is key. Future leaders need to know that business expansion and growth depend solely on the ability of the team to execute and see it through. This kind of communication from time to time ensures that no one is in the dark or feels side-lined. Communication should not just be top-down, it needs to be two ways; leaders should encourage dialogue and be open to constructive feedback and new ideas.
4. Encourage the contrarian view
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, always encouraged a contrarian view as a way to empower future leaders. Empowering leadership is about creating an environment where people feel safe to take risks and confident about voicing an idea without fearing the repercussions. They are not afraid to ask questions and admit mistakes. Sundar Pichai always ensured that people who were holding back were made comfortable enough to participate – this brought the contrarian view or alternate perspective to the forefront and helped in better decision-making. He believes in coaching more than managing to bring out the best in employees.
5.Use mistakes to build future leaders up
Empowering leadership is about recognizing that mistakes are inevitable and, rather than wallowing, capitalizing on these mistakes to view them as learning opportunities. This kind of admittance strategy builds future leaders rather than weighing them down. It encourages them to come forward when things haven’t gone as planned and gives them the confidence to take risks knowing that they will not be penalized. Geoff Gross, CEO of Medical Guardian, exhibits this empowering leadership by asking his people to own mistakes and not be ashamed of admitting when they are wrong. He focuses on an action plan to fix the mistake in conjunction with a plan to avoid such mishaps in the future. Time wasted on guilt or shame should much rather be put to productive use.
6.Involve employees in decision-making and problem-solving
To create future leaders, organizational leaders need to empower employees with decision-making responsibilities and complete autonomy over areas under their control. Changemakers go a step further and include them in larger, enterprise-level decision-making. With this high-level involvement, employees tend to be more vested in the company. Not only should they make decisions but also get hands-on experience with problem-solving tactics. Things don’t come easy for leaders who often find themselves struggling with problems or at crossroads. Empowering leaders encourage their teams to address problems and come up with solutions to do so. Once they become accountable, this problem-solving will automatically seep in as they feel a sense of ownership in the company.
Empowering future leaders is an essential part of any top changemakers strategic plan. Changemakers exhibit this empowering leadership not only to prepare future leaders but also to improve productivity and ultimately lead to increased success within the company.
