To Empower is to Serve

I have spoken in my previous blogs about helping those we serve to achieve their greatest potential. This can only begin to happen if we empower them. DeServing leaders must learn to be good teachers. It must be a consistent part of their daily lives to help their followers gain the knowledge to be successful and turn them into deServing leaders themselves.

Tips for Empowering Others: 

Encourage

Genuinely reminding those we serve that they are capable of amazing things is fundamental to helping others. Courage is the mental or moral strength to withstand fear or difficulty, and DeServing leaders must become masters in the art of encouragement. The right words at the right time can be life changing.

Delegate

There is no better way to empower teammates than by giving people a stake in outcomes. By sharing administrative authority appropriately, we also increase innovation and raise employee engagement. Delegation gives those we serve autonomy to grow, fail forward, and become leaders themselves.

Educate

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. Growth comes, first and foremost, via education. As Marie Forleo says, “Everything is figureoutable!”

Recognize

Recognizing others as experts in their areas can be a tremendous power source for those we serve. DeServing leaders spread “good gossip” to help increase the standing of another person in the organization.

Promote Physical Health

While we all know that people should care for themselves, deServing leaders must watch for burnout and encourage their followers to stay healthy and care for themselves. We cannot serve others unless we take care of ourselves first.

Provide Resources

For those we serve to succeed, we cannot expect their problems to be magically resolved for them. We must offer tools and resources and be a sounding board for their ideas.

“Managed” employees become a team of workhorses who do precisely what you say.

“Empowered” employees become a team of knowledgeable professionals who take initiative, use problem-solving skills, innovate, and work together to achieve a common goal.