What is Empowering Leadership?

Let’s start by answering the “what is empowering leadership?” question. The term means to place
trust in employees and grant them authority to make decisions. Leadership empowering others
creates a sense of autonomy and momentum to work together to achieve a common goal.

Empowering leadership is understanding the importance of being able to fully support a team by
giving them the tools needed to be effective. Team members who are empowered feel more
confident in their abilities and tend to deliver projects with greater care. By implementing an
empowering leadership strategy, leaders allow employees to take ownership of their work, resulting
in increased productivity, happier employees, and a healthy workplace culture.

The concept of leadership empowerment is the way to build competitive and powerful teams that
can successfully carry out the organization’s vision and take responsibility for its long-term
objectives.

Empowering leadership approach is based on intentionality and consistency rather than on

spontaneous acts of kindness. By empowering others, leaders create a larger pool of future leaders
who can carry the vision of the organization.

Empowering leadership traits

Empowering leaders typically have some traits that make them different from other leaders. Here
are some traits you might find in an empowering leader:

Delegation

The ability to delegate tasks can be crucial for an empowering leader, because they're still assigning
tasks in a management position, even if they allow employees to make their own decisions. For
example, an empowering leader might be able to delegate tasks quickly and effectively to each team
member while letting them choose how to complete those tasks. The leader understands the
importance of providing initial directions for everyone, but also that letting them finish their tasks
with minimal oversight can help build trust and potentially yield better results.

Decisiveness

An empowering leader is often a decisive one, being able to make important decisions quickly and
effectively, even in the event of an emergency or setback. For example, if a production facility's main
vendor has a fire in their building and can't provide the materials for that day's production schedule,
a decisive leader might acquire a new vendor and organize a response to customers to address the
problem quickly. This trait can help build trust among teams and leaders.

Communication

Communication is one of the most important traits of an empowering leader, because it allows the
leader to discuss expectations, set boundaries, and communicate changes or needs to their
employees. Communication also helps foster trust by making it easier for employees to admit to
mistakes and explain themselves without fear of judgment or reprimand.

Inspiration

Empowering leaders understand how to inspire others through action, which is also called leading by
example. Empowering leaders show their employees what they expect by embodying those values or
behaviours in everyday life. For example, if a leader expects honesty and high-quality results from
their teams, they might strive to always be honest with those people and give their best efforts in
every project to which they contribute

Recognition

An empowering leader typically understands the importance of recognizing the efforts of their
colleagues or the people they lead. Recognition can be important for establishing trust, because
employees can feel more trusting of leaders when they talk about their successes. For example, an
empowering leader might recognize an employee's strengths in planning and organization and allow
them a more active role in project planning to both highlight and praise those skills. This can help
that employee feel more confident in their role and less stressed about the job knowing they have
the manager's support.

Actions a Leader Should Take To Empower Employees

Here are the 5 actions that an empowered leader must take to encourage and empower his team:

1) A Leader Should Trust Employees

Trusting team members is the first step towards empowering them. If a leader does not trust a
team, he won’t give employees the autonomy they require for success. Trust helps employees in
effective decision-making and be held accountable for the outcomes.

2) A Leader Should Create an Inclusive Environment

An inclusive workplace is one that encourages all workers. Each individual feels respected and valued
therein. Empowering leadership begins to establish a diverse workplace. A leader must act in the
manner in which he wants his team to act. Being respectful and open-minded will help a leader
achieve this.

3) A Leader Should Appreciate Team Members

A major element of any successful relationship is appreciation. It plays a significant role in

empowering the team. By expressing gratitude, you convey to a team your appreciation for their
contributions and your desire to see more of them.

4) A Leader Should Gives Feedback

Feedback is crucial for team empowerment. It enables a leader to comprehend the requirements and
worries of employees. Having regular one-on-one meetings with each team member is the greatest
approach of getting feedback. Ask your employees how they are doing and what you can do to
support them during these encounters.

5) A Leader Should Take Suggestions From Employees

Empowered Leaders can overlook the details of inefficiency sometimes. They should encourage
employees to submit suggestions for how to enhance their workflows over time. Establish regular
forums where people can discuss what is working and what is not in their departments, as well as
improvements that could be made.

Benefits of the empowering Leadership

When leaders use empowerment to motivate their team, it can yield many benefits for everyone
involved and the entire organization. Here are some benefits to consider:

 Greater productivity: When employees feel their employer trusts them to do a good job, they
may be more productive and consistent in their work. This can yield higher revenue for the
business, increase employee confidence, and solidify the leaders' methods as company
policy.

 Stronger leadership systems: By empowering their team members, leaders can build
stronger systems of leadership within the company and create ways for employees to
advance. Strong leadership systems can help the business overcome market downtrends or
other issues that might otherwise negatively affect the company.

 Frequent innovation and learning: Empowering employees also helps to inspire them to be
more innovative in their work processes, which can ultimately benefit the company with
better products. It also creates a work culture centred around learning from mistakes and
pursuing knowledge for the sake of improvement, creating a more competent workforce.

 Greater competition in the market: A company with strong, empowering leaders and a
trusting, motivated workforce can become a serious competitor in their market with more
innovative, high-quality products and public trust from their supportive internal systems. The
trust of the public can help build a stronger customer base and brand image, resulting in
more sales.