Make Your People Feel Powerful in 5 Powerless Ways

If you don't fire your people up, you might as well fire them. More at here

Your people are your greatest asset, but how many leaders actually make their people feel powerful?  Instead I see many leaders make their people feel powerless by taking away freedom from them and insulting them in public.  From now on make your people feel powerful and you'll have a powerful team. There are 5 powerless ways to make people feel powerful:

1. Delegate important tasks to them.  Let them take the risk and fail if necessary.  
2. Let go of your authority, control and compliance.  Let them do things their way, and they will realize that following your system and path is better
3. Communicate with them frequently, let them be the first to know important things, and encourage them to share their views on important issues.  Ask them, "Can I have your opinion on this?"
4. You don't have to promote people to leadership position to make them powerful, all you need is to offer choices that lead to greater autonomy.  Give them some choice in the way they run their work and even let them be in-charge - no title required.  People love to have their say and control over their portfolios.  Remember, the more you give autonomy to them, the more they will be in line with you
5. Listen to them, and take what they say seriously.  This must be the fastest and most effective way to make people feel powerful, yet it is done in the most powerless way.  Isn't this what leadership is about?

by Andy Ng of Asia Trainers.  The next How to Be a Better Manager program starts on 15 Sep 2014 Monday 2 to 5.30 pm. Details are at here. Related articles:

• The 7 Invaluable Treasures that Bosses can give to their team
• Either you fire them up or you'll have to fire them
• Bosses are the problems and how you can be the solution
• How to manage by wisdom in 8 ways
• A tale of 2 companies in Singapore
• Train your people to be high contribution employees