A strong “can-do” spirit is not all that’s needed to bring about peak performance. Leaders also need a full dose of “emPOWERSment.”  If you’re wondering about this word, you’re not alone.  

Why emPOWERSment? 

Well, first, the word gets your attention. More importantly, there are six different powers associated with a person becoming fully empowered to successfully carry out an assignment. And the word “POWERS” can be used as an acronym to help you remember each power.

• Proficiency

• Obligation

• Willingness

• Encouragement

• Resources

• Strategy

Proficiency refers to the extent to which a person has the basic knowledge, experience, and skills that are needed to do a particular assignment properly.   

When trying to determine who should be assigned a particularly challenging new task, you will likely hear or ask the question: “So who’s available who has the skills and experience we need to effectively carry out this assignment?” 

But coming up with an accurate answer is not always easy. If a worker has done an exceptional job on other challenging tasks, it’s easy to think that he has a broader range of skills than he actually does. Psychologists call this the “Halo Effect.” Added to this problem is the notion that employees may be reluctant to admit that they are not prepared to do certain stretch assignments without some extra help and guidance.  

So, as you consider candidates for taking on what may prove to be a very challenging assignment, it’s useful to also ask yourself: “What sort of work has this person done in the past that may be similar to carrying out this new assignment?” 

If necessary, you can ask candidates the same question, and use the conversation that follows as a basis for deciding whether they currently have the skills and experience needed to get the job done well. And, if not, what sort of extra help they might need to get up to speed quickly.  Spending time and resources this way is also an investment in developing the future capabilities of your team.

Obligation refers to the particulars of the assignment that will be delegated. What exactly is the employee obligated to do?   

A major problem that can occur when delegating assignments is relating expectations—in terms of scope and performance. These expectations are often much clearer in the manager’s mind than that of the employees, who are sometimes reluctant to ask important clarification questions.  

To avoid powerful misunderstandings over complex assignments, test for understanding by asking the employee to explain her understanding of the task, performance requirements, and deadlines. Be prepared to offer further explanations and support.  

Willingness refers to an employee’s level of motivation to do a particular assignment beyond obligatory compliance.

It’s very easy make the mistake of assuming that employees will be motivated by the same things that motivate their managers. To unleash a high level of motivation in employees, it’s important for managers to understand—as best they can—the particular things that do and do not motivate them.

To get a better handle on people’s motivational profiles, in addition to observing their reactions to different situations and assignments, it’s useful to simply ask them from time to time to tell you about themselves.

• Ask employees what particularly interests them about their work?

• Ask employees their short- and long-term ambitions?

• Ask about the kinds of activities and hobbies that employees find most engaging when not at work. 

You can’t always give people the kinds of assignments they want, but the better you understand their motivational profiles, the more opportunities you’ll find to unleash their “can-do” willingness to tackle a challenging assignment. 

Encouragement is important because motivation and talent does not, by itself, guarantee that a employee will feel confident when tackling a daunting task.

“I’m sure you’ll do a great job,” is certainly a nice thought. But encouragement is often most needed after an employee has started working on a tough task—and not just the cheerleading kind.

Managers often find that after handing out an assignment, if they don’t personally follow up along the way to find out how things are going, they typically will only get feedback when the assignment is going really well or if a terrible problem has occurred. And usually, if things aren’t going well, by the time they find out about it, it’s too late to get things properly back on track. 

Scheduling regularly occurring two-way feedback sessions along the way can give you a chance to give instructive advice such as, “You can do this if you make the following adjustments.” This kind of encouragement tends to build lasting—and real—confidence.

Resources that are needed to successfully carry out an assignment must be allocated when and where they are needed. 

It’s actually your job as manager to figure out in advance—in partnership with the employee—the important resources they will need. If the employee doesn’t have enough arrows in her quiver, you can’t expect her to hit all of the targets. 

A mistake that is frequently made during this phase of the delegation process is that managers often give employees the okay to seek help from peers when carrying out an assignment, without also telling their co-workers that this authority has been granted. To be fully credible, managers need to announce to staff that they have delegated some authority—not the employee to whom this authority has been granted.

Strategies enable employees to orchestrate their overall plan of attack. 

The employee who has been given the assignment may have technical skills and an abundance of resources, but if he doesn’t have an overall strategy for making the best use of his skills and resources, he’s not likely to be efficient.

We’re not suggesting micro-managing here! Eliciting a strategy from the employee who has been given an assignment is more motivating than dictating it. Better yet, it’s likely to generate some fresh thinking—from both of you.

Putting the POWERS to work

If you are an experienced manager, you will most likely recognize the contribution that engaging each of these powers can make when delegating an important assignment.

Prior to delegating important assignments, it’s useful to remember that if any of the six POWERS is lacking, the employee may not be sufficiently empowered to get the job done properly. And once you are clear about what skills and experience will be required to successfully carry out a challenging, high-priority assignment, you can use the POWERS acronym to make sure your team members are fully empowered to succeed.

Our next blog, “Encouraging Improvement with Positive Negative Feedback,” will focus on a strategy for giving the kind of feedback that encourages performance improvement with a big “E.”