There is no doubt that our connected world has challenges, and we experience it, no matter our culture, belief system or background. Technology is a driver for change, connectivity and communication, which pushes the world to respond to an ever-changing and agile environment. But, can it replace the connectedness between people?
As a people, we need to adapt and be flexible in order to keep up with how our busy lives are lived. As organisations, we sometimes experience a disconnect in the silos with which we operate. As business leaders, we may experience a lonely journey and experience challenges and pressures whilst making high-risk decisions.
As humans, it is only natural to feel that we are caught up in the “here and now”. It is only natural for us to feel overwhelmed and lost sometimes. If this sounds familiar, you should know that you are not the only one. We all feel like this at times but we have the power to overcome this.
Empowerment comes from within ourselves but sometimes it is harder to find. You need to be encouraged, to connect meaningfully with others and to gain personal insight while you reflect on how to apply key leadership learnings to yourself and to your work.
We assist individuals and organisations to understand how to engage your strengths to maximise results and target effort. Part of this empowerment process is to assess your current behaviour and to learn how to increase your resilience. In addition, we assist you to re-affirm your sense of purpose and engagement. We work with you to identify your most pressing challenges and help you to formulate strategies that deal with challenges of transformation. Lastly, we help you to develop your very own leadership growth plan, so that you can become the very best you that you can be and truly embrace the need to transform not just to comply but to develop a culture of acceptance of diversity.
For us empowerment is an imperative to transformation. It is however also about inclusion, engagement and finding collaborative solutions. Here are some Top Principles of Employee Empowerment to get you started written by Susan Heathfield:
- Demonstrate that you value people
Your regard for people shines through in all of your actions and words. Your facial expression, your body language, and your words express what you are thinking about the people who report to you.
- Share your leadership vision
Help people feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves and their individual job. Do this by making sure they know and have access to the organization’s overall mission, vision, and strategic plans.
- Share goals and direction
When possible, involve employees in goal setting and planning. They add value, knowledge, ideas, insight, and experience that you won’t find on your senior team.
- Provide updated information
Make certain that you have given people, or made sure that they have access to, all of the information they need to make thoughtful decisions.
- Delegate work that is fun too
Don’t just delegate the drudge work; delegate some of the fun stuff, too. It gives employees opportunities to grow.
- Provide frequent feedback
Provide frequent feedback so that people know how they are doing. Sometimes, the purpose of feedback is reward and recognition as well as improvement coaching.
- Help employees feel rewarded
When employees feel under-compensated, under-titled for the responsibilities they take on, under-noticed, under-praised, and under-appreciated, don’t expect results from employee empowerment.
Resonance Consulting Services strongly believes in empowerment, transformation, diversity and inclusion. As the song Umuntu says – it is not because we must, but because we want to!
Feel free to connect with us by emailing us: rrajab@resonance.net.za
Tell us about your transformation project or your successes thus far.
Drop us a line below if you are interested in engaging with us.