Okay, that subject line sounds fine and dandy, but what the heck does it actually mean???

It doesn’t mean physically leaning on your team members. Can you say lawsuit?

It means you are actively allowing your team members to accept more challenges, and responsibilities and essentially grow career-wise. Think of it as Miracle Grow being sprinkled in your business garden!!!! What a beautiful sight for all.

Empowerment is different from neglect

When you have empowered a team member they do work more independently, but they are not neglected. 

To be neglected as a team member they would feel ignored, disregarded, forgotten, unprepared, unattended, disrespected, and overlooked in training and business on goings.

To be empowered as team members they would feel included, confident in their skills, have access to any extra needed training, respected, have the ability to make decisions and work unsupervised. An empowered team member also knows that if they need help they can go to you.

Be open to feedback and ideas

As business owners, we need to open our ears and actually listen to our team members. Yup, we are pulling out some Stephen Covey again ;)

When your team members know that you are actually listening, processing and seeing value in their business input/opinions they feel important. Open communication amongst the entire team cements the fact that people can reach out to others for help and not just you.

People can tell when you are “mentally making your grocery list” and not actively listening. It doesn’t feel good when it happens. Respect needs to be on both sides.

Be constructive in your criticism

Hello human you are going to make mistakes. You are not Dave from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Your team members are going to make mistakes too. How you handle mistakes will determine your mission ;)

When you admit errors to your team it makes it easier for them to admit theirs. You may have created a phenomenal culture for your team, but you have no idea what kind of “Hell” they may have come from. 

Tackle corrections with kindness. Explain exactly where things went wrong and help them fix it. That is a training moment.

Sometimes it takes more than once to course correct an error. People learn in different ways. Some are visual, or auditory or prefer to read to name a few. You may have to take a different approach to get your point across. Sometimes it is a matter of breaking an operational habit. Your team member may have used the same system that you have embraced but had used it in a different fashion. When you have open communication you will have these answers ;)

Be curious about your team member’s interests

To be clear I am not talking about their favourite pie filling, dog breed or preferred vacation spot. I am talking about what they like to do in your business. Are they happy in their current role? Have their interests changed? Are they interested in training in another area? Do they have untapped skills that would be an asset to the team? 

Sprinkle that Miracle Grow! When your team members are encouraged to evolve, they are happier and their loyalty is priceless.

Having unhappy team members punching a time clock is like adding poison to the water cooler. 

Be a spoke not the hub

When you are the hub of your business you not only have to deal with your stuff, but you also have to solve everybody else’s stuff too. Stuff that they could easily deal with themselves, but you aren’t allowing them you little stressed-out control freak.

Yup! I just called you out on it.

Being a spoke in your business does NOT mean handing over the kingdom’s key.  It is still your company, but I will bet you a doughnut that if you embrace Team Spoke you will be happier and know more about what is going on in your business.

When you lean on your team and they lean on you, work is easier, more enjoyable and far more productive. It is pure magic!