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Kelly Gregorio

Leading a successful organization puts an equal amount of power in your hands and pressure to perform on your shoulders. However, the difficulty is that success is not solely your responsibility; it’s shared by your entire team.So how can you get the most out of your employees? By empowering them within their environment. Read on to discover four ways you can create ownership while motivating others within your workplace.1. The ownership conversation. If you want your employees to feel empowered, then you’ve got to bestow upon them a sense of ownership. The best way to do this is to address your desire for change in an open conversation. Ask employees: If this were your office, what changes would you want to see made?Evaluate the responses you receive, especially those that address workplace flow (such as outdated procedures and the reality of your current workplace policies). If you can make reasonable accommodations and changes, then do it; employees will be inspired when they see that their voices and opinions really do count. If possible, empower employees to make those changes themselves and watch their confidence and willingness to perform improve.2. Proactive makes perfect. A conversation like the one described above can be a catalyst to a more active and involved workplace. Encourage employees to check in with you regularly by establishing an open door policy and committing your attention to the topics they want to address. It is their workplace, so get employees involved in the introspective act of seeking improvements and brainstorming solutions.If you continue to approach change proactively, employees will feel comfortable and confident enough to speak up. Unfortunately, as much as you may try, your eyes and ears can’t be everywhere, always. By proving to employees that you take their input to heart with real action and humble conversations, you’ll encourage them to act as individual owners—caring for the workplace as if it were solely theirs.3. Be ready and willing for failure. Despite how encouraging you are, if (and when) certain changes fail, a bad attitude and temper will undo all of your hard work. Lose your temper with an employee who was unable to make a difference, and you can guarantee that he’ll never again attempt to take ownership of a workplace initiative.Instead, plan for and discuss the potential for failure. Comfort and empower employees while proactively discussing other potential courses of action. Remain calm when things don’t go as planned. More important than making changes, effective problem solving and flexibility during the transitional steps will instill a sense of confidence in everyone involved.4. Test transparency. This last step is not about trying to motivate your employees to try something; it’s about embracing the concept of change yourself. If you instill a sense of transparent leadership (share plans and motivations without being asked), employees will better understand your passions and underlying goals. This sense of awareness will empower employees to make real-time decisions on their own.A transparent approach somewhat levels the playing field between leader and employees: Everyone is on the same page, and everyone is working toward a mutual goal. Empower employees by instilling a sense of ownership within the workplace, and cultivate a team in which everyone’s eyes are on the bigger picture.In what other ways can you empower your workplace?

4 Ways to Empower Your Workplace

 Most people do not like change. Whether you are a training and development professional or a CEO, if you represent change, then to some people you represent the enemy. Luckily, you can master the switch by navigating your new orders in a way that breaks down others’ hesitations.**Show Off Your Palms**The first step toward eliminating change resistance lies in your approach. It is important to be considerate, forthright, and most importantly, honest. Let everyone know a change is taking place and that it is completely normal to feel some resistance (this will help lower upright guards). However, reassure your team that by working together you can make this change work well.Be sure to explain the reasoning behind the change—sometimes a valid point is all someone needs. Also, allow employees to brainstorm other possible solutions. Chances are that they will unearth factors you already considered; still, it is important to give employees a voice. Regardless of the brainstorming session’s outcome, your proposed change could leave you with employees who are resistant, so be prepared for some raised hands.**Hear Them Out**Keep in mind the natural emotions that come along with change: anxiety, stress, and uncertainty. Employees most likely have worked themselves into a comfortable position within the company and their daily duties. Any inkling of change can make them feel equally worried about changes in perception, demand, and their ability to keep up.This is why it is important to open the floor for questions, comments, and concerns. Be sure to ask for feedback not with a tapping foot, but with patient, open ears. The process of talking things out will be therapeutic for those most resistant to change. Reach out to shy staff as well, and extend the opportunity to discuss impending change in private if preferred.**Flexibility Is Your Friend**If ever appropriate, use the word “trial period,” with a deadline set in place. During the trial period, ask that employees keep an open mind and make personal notes pertaining to this new change. Let them know that when the deadline approaches you will gather again as a group and assess the situation as a team, and that only then will management make a formal, permanent decision based on all factors involved, including their opinions and feedback.People will be more willing to cooperate if you remind them how important their full support is to the overall effort. And remaining open to staff suggestions will prove that you value and care about the community work environment. Approaching change in this manner will help employees to ease into the new wave with as little hesitation as possible.Change is never easy, but when carried out effectively it can be accomplished with the least resistance. How do you manage change in the workplace?

Kelly Gregorio

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