Leadership is essential in any organization. Without effective leadership the organization fails. An effective leader is someone who can empower his or her team. When a leader can effectively empower their team the sky is the limit. By encouraging employees to develop a career path, the leader is demonstrating to the employees that they care about the success of their employees. This level of empowerment will in turn have the employee focusing more on what they can do to not only better themselves as an employee but, what they can do to better the future of the company. People often feel a sense of belonging when the can participate in the success or implementation of something beneficial for their organization.
The key to empowering your employees is demonstrating that you truly care for your employees. A level of trust needs to be established between the leader and the employee. If there is no trust between the two, ultimately nothing will be accomplished. As a leader, allowing your employees to gives you feedback on the organization can assist in the promotion of this trust. If the employee feels that they can comfortably discuss the pros and cons of the organization with their leader, they will feel a sense of value. Also, some new and creative ideas could be generated from these open forum type of discussions. Giving your employees feedback provides “reward and recognition” for their job performance. Constructive criticism is important as well. This will give the employee direction and growth. Finally when a problem occurs within the organization, ask the employee “what is wrong with the work system that caused the people to fail.” Following these simple steps will create a more positive work environment. If a leader can make their employees feel as though they are a vital part of the organization, the employee will begin to shine and grow and become a valuable asset to the organization.
