Successful Leader Practice #3: Empowerment
In coaching leaders across industries, I've witnessed a transformative practice that great leaders master: empowerment.
Empowerment isn't about handing over the reins completely; it's about equipping your team with the confidence and autonomy to make decisions that contribute to the organization’s success. Think of it like being the captain of a ship: You set the course, but you trust your crew to adjust as necessary based on conditions.
This is the final article in my five-part leadership series, which began with an overview of the three things successful leaders do: navigate, communicate, and empower. Each of these practices is powered by emotional intelligence (EQ), and I laid out foundational tactics for leaders to develop their EQ in the second article. The next articles stressed the importance of knowledgeable navigation of an evolving business landscape and effective communication with your team. Today, we’ll dive into empowerment — an often underutilized yet vital leadership skill.
Like navigation and communication, empowerment isn't rocket science, but it does require a deliberate approach. Empowering your team can lead to immense benefits, like enhanced productivity, increased employee engagement, and lower turnover, which strengthen your organization’s performance.
Empowerment Unlocks Potential, Reduces Stress, and Retains Talent
When employees feel empowered, they feel involved in the organization's direction, fostering a greater sense of ownership.
Consider CGI, a global IT and business consulting firm, recognized in 2024 as one of Forbes' Best Large Employers and as a Top Workplace. CGI's success is largely attributed to its emphasis on empowering employees through an ownership culture, which fosters inclusivity and open communication at all levels of the organization. According to employee feedback, 87% of CGI employees feel they have flexibility in their work-life balance, and 90% say the company upholds strong values. This culture of empowerment not only makes employees feel valued but also encourages the free exchange of ideas, driving innovation and employee engagement.
Empowerment also plays a crucial role in reducing workplace stress. According to the American Psychological Association’s Work and Well-Being Survey, 48% of employees cited lack of involvement in decisions as a major source of stress in 2021, the last time the question was asked. When leaders involve their employees in decision-making, stress levels decrease, which fosters a healthier and more collaborative work environment.
This reduction in stress is key to retaining top talent. Empowered employees are less likely to experience burnout or seek opportunities elsewhere. Gallup’s Q12 Meta-Analysis findings reinforce this: Empowered teams experience significantly lower turnover, which saves companies from the costly disruption of replacing and training new employees.
How to Build a Culture of Empowerment
Leaders must be intentional to create a culture of empowerment. Delegating responsibilities is only part of the equation — true empowerment involves continuous support and development.
Start by fostering an environment where team members feel valued for their contributions and confident in their ability to shape outcomes.
Encourage your employees to learn new skills, lead initiatives, and pursue growth opportunities that align with both their personal goals and the company’s objectives.
Give regular feedback. A successful leader views performance management as an ongoing dialogue rather than an annual review. Providing constructive feedback and recognizing achievements in real time helps employees see the impact of their work and understand where they can continue to grow.
Leaders with strong emotional intelligence excel at empowering their team members by recognizing and responding to their emotions and motivations. These leaders are adept at creating an environment of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable taking risks and expressing ideas without fear of judgment. Using empathy to connect with their team, leaders identify individuals’ strengths and development areas to provide personalized opportunities for growth.
High-EQ leaders also exercise self-regulation, allowing them to remain composed and supportive even when challenges arise, reinforcing the trust that is critical to empowerment. Their ability to balance emotional insight with clear communication ensures that employees feel both guided and free to take initiative.
The Neuroscience Behind Empowerment
Empowerment fosters a sense of trust, which increases the production of oxytocin. This creates a psychologically safe environment where employees feel secure in taking risks and contributing ideas. Moreover, trust reduces activation of the amygdala — the brain’s fear center and emotional regulator— leading to lower stress levels and improved emotional regulation.
A recently published article also noted that leaders play a critical role in cultivating trust within organizations. These leadership behaviors, among others, help establish a psychologically safe environment where employees feel respected, valued, and driven to perform at their best.
By establishing a psychologically safe environment, employees also enhance their brain's neuroplasticity, or ability to adopt new ways of thinking and doing things and closely tied to how often employees step outside their comfort zones. Feeling safe encourages employees to take these risks, leading to learning and growth. Trust plays a crucial role in fostering this sense of safety. Leaders who create a trusting work environment see high employee engagement, which contributes to a more satisfied and productive workforce.
3 Common Misconceptions about Empowerment
Managers looking to evade responsibility have sometimes given empowerment a bad name. They’ve warped its meaning, leaving others with a trio of common misconceptions.
Empowerment equals absence of leadership.
Many leaders mistakenly believe that empowering their teams means stepping back entirely, but this can lead to confusion and inefficiency. True empowerment involves active leadership—guiding, supporting, and providing feedback—while allowing employees the autonomy to make decisions within a framework.
Empowerment is one-size-fits-all.
Another misconception is that every employee will thrive in an empowered environment. In reality, some individuals prefer more structure and guidance. Effective empowerment requires leaders to tailor their approach based on individual preferences, needs, and capabilities.
Empowerment is just delegation.
While delegation is a component of empowerment, the two are not synonymous. Delegation is about assigning tasks, while empowerment involves fostering ownership and allowing employees to make key decisions. The goal is to enable growth and innovation, not just offloading responsibilities.
A successful leader avoids these traps by providing needed support, using EQ to adapt to individuals’ needs, and delegating when the circumstances are right. Empowering means giving trust and support with the opportunity for personal growth.
The Future of Work: Why Empowerment is Key
Looking toward the future of knowledge work, in particular, empowerment becomes even more critical. The rise of remote work, digital transformation, and automation means employees will need to take greater ownership of creative problem-solving and strategic decision-making. Leaders won’t always be available to oversee every action, so empowering employees to act independently will be essential to maintaining momentum and productivity.
Moreover, leaders’ ability to empower employees will help them harness the full potential of their teams as organizations grow increasingly diverse and distributed. Diverse perspectives will drive innovation and ensure the organization can adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. The leaders of tomorrow must foster trust, create structures that enable autonomy, and provide the tools and resources employees need to thrive independently.
Empowering Leadership for Today and Tomorrow
As you reflect on your own leadership practices, take a few minutes to consider how you can further empower your team. Where are opportunities to trust employees with greater responsibility? What resources can you provide to help them succeed?
By leaning into empowerment, you not only elevate your team’s potential, but you can also lead your organization to new heights. Combine it with business navigation skills, clear communication, and strong emotional intelligence, and you’re set for smooth sailing toward leadership success.
For further guidance on empowerment, feel free to explore other resources on my website or reach out directly.
Please also see:
Harvard Business Review (March 2018): When Empowering Employees Works, and When it Doesn’t / Allan Lee, Sara Willis, Amy Wei Tian
Forbes (April 2024): Empowering The Next Generation: Advice For Leaders and Young Employees / Steve Jbara
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth / Amy C. Edmondson
Learn more from Ken Meyers’ Successful Leader Series:
3 Things that Successful Leaders Do | EQ: The Cornerstone of Leadership Success | Successful Leader Practice #1: Navigation | Successful Leader Practice #2: Communication | Successful Leader Practice #3: Empowerment