Test Your Empowerment

Failure to empower your team will kill your dream. Your dream may be simple or your dream may be complex. Regardless, if you are going to achieve it, you're going to need other people to embrace it as their own to have any chance of success. When is the last time you accomplished anything of value that didn't require another person?

​The real issue isn't whether or not we agree that empowerment is the greater choice. We all give mental assent to the idea of empowering others. We know that's the right answer, yeah?- Empowerment! "I love to empower my team!", we say. But, how's that working out for you in your daily habits?. Do your actions (behaviors, facial expressions, tone of voice) match your verbal praise for the Law of Empowerment? Put your belief in empowerment to the test by asking three simple questions.

​Three Questions to Test Your Belief in Empowerment

1. Do I ask clarifying questions when my team presents ideas or do I immediately look to "improve" on the idea by adding what I would do?
2. Do I demonstrate my disapproval for new ideas with my facial expression or body language?
3. Do I provide my team with clear goals and objectives or do I provide them a list of tasks to accomplish for me?​​

Answer these questions with integrity and you will thaw any self-deception that exists between your stated values and your actions.. Want to be brave? Ask your team to answer these questions from their perspective. It just might thaw the hearts of those you need the most to achieve your dreams!

If you're ready to go deeper and develop a consistent process for communicating in ways that empower your team, request my free step by step process for charting the course when communicating change. This method has allowed me to increase engagement with my team when it counts the most. I think it will do the same for you. You can find it here.