The Empowerment Formula

 
For small and even large business leaders, it is no secret that there are only so many hours in the day.

Leaving the combination of total resources and efficiency of each resource to be the total net sum of how much work gets done.
 

Total Resources + Resource Efficiency = Productivity Sum

With this knowledge at our disposal, it is obvious why leaders seek to delegate work throughout the organization. If they don’t, the amount that can get done becomes severely limited and it is a snowball from there. However, most business leaders and even more so entrepreneurs struggle with empowerment. Even those that think they are good at it struggle with it because the idea of empowerment means the relinquishment of control; something many leaders can’t handle.

But knowing that the sum of progress is throttled by “hoarding” responsibility, they reluctantly empower employees and delegate work because the alternative is too risky.

The problem is that with their hesitation to delegate, they often find themselves re-inserting themselves into the work they delegate far too regularly leaving the empowered employee to not only feel micromanaged, but in actuality not empowered at all.
 

Empowered, Sort Of

 
The idea of empowerment is that you are able to delegate routine and meaningful tasks in order to drive business initiatives forward.

Further, empowerment means that the person whom is handling the work is trusted and competent to handle what needs to be done.

When the required work is too close to vest for the leader or the person whom the work is delegated too isn’t fully trusted, it often causes a high volume of disruption for regular feedback to the “empowering” party.

Often creating more of a distraction than real progress since movement is constantly halted by the disruption.

Does this sound familiar to you?
 

Half-Way may be worse than None-of-the-Way

 
If you have been on the receiving side of this type of empowerment, I am sure you are familiar with the frustration of working with the proverbial ball and chain.

It isn’t effective, efficient or buzzword worthy in any way. Unless “Destructive” is a word you like to use?

Empowerment is meant to make organizations move faster and help employees develop.

When done correctly, by giving the adequate amount of rope coupled with meaningful benchmarking, empowerment can drive organizations forward and create strong cultures. When done half-way it is merely a method of sabotage.

So if you can’t let go, then I would regrettably advise not to delegate at all. And if you don’t trust your employees, your problem solving may need to start there.

But half-way empowerment is a half-ass way to run your business. If you seek results, either lead or do the work, but stay out of the middle; it isn’t benefitting anyone, not even you!