3 ½ Methods for Empowering Employees
August 13, 2017
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3 ½ Tips for Dealing with Teenagers
August 13, 2017

3 ½ Self-Empowerment Strategies that Benefit Employers and Employees

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Have you been hearing the “new” catchphrases about self-empowerment? Are you wondering if it really works and if there’s any benefit to employers and employees? Although the research on self-empowerment is not new, today’s changing workforce certainly needs the benefits that self-empowerment brings.

If your employees are showing low self-esteem, lack of creativity, and uncertainty about their skills, knowledge, and abilities, then self-empowerment training is right for your company. Self-empowerment will affect any company’s productivity, profit, culture, and teamwork efforts. This article gives tips managers can use to build self-empowerment and shows the benefits for employers and employees.

Self-Empowerment Tip #1: Mentoring Employees Increases Commitment to Their Jobs

An important part of self-empowerment is the mentoring that managers provide to employees. When managers mentor employees using a self-empowerment focus, employees learn to reshape their thinking, acting, and commitment to their jobs.

Often employees feel no commitment to their managers and employers. This makes it seem easy to slack off, cut corners, and spread feelings of discontent. Mentoring establishes a sense of commitment between people. A mentored employee develops a connection to their manager and workplace and is far less inclined to act or speak in a negative way.

Managers also see other spillover effects as employees become self-empowered. Employees feel a sense of belonging in the workplace and feel that their success is important to their managers. An employee who feels isolated, cast aside, or like “just another worker” sits up and takes notice when they experience their manager investing in their self-empowerment through the mentoring process.

Self-Empowerment Tip #2: Managers Who Listen Have Employees Who Care

Employees have a great deal to offer beyond the physical work they do in their workplace. They are the experts in what they need and what helps them do their job better. In this way, employees can offer valuable insight to their employers—when it is accepted. In as much as managers offer valuable mentoring, employees offer valuable feedback about their self-empowerment needs. When both are working together, the reciprocal relationship benefits the entire organization.

Employees who can share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with management feel valued, capable, and confident. Employers gain the advantage of knowing their employees and avoid investing in programs that do not provide tangible value to their employees. Employees are experts in what it is like to be an employee in their own workplace. Listening to them and encouraging their input is a powerful self-empowerment tool for managers.

Self-Empowerment Tip #3: Be Willing to Change

Another benefit of self-empowerment is change. As employees become self-empowered they change. They become more responsible, productive, and positive. They learn that change leads to positive things, even when it is hard to change. The important thing is that they do change and it benefits themselves as individuals and the workplace that employs them.

To encourage the changes that happen with self-empowerment, managers need to be willing to change. They do this by learning good strategies and then taking action based on this new knowledge. They also do this by changing their own ineffective thoughts and actions. As this happens, employees follow suit. Managers who are willing to change can make a great impact on their employees and the workplace as a whole.

Self-Empowerment Tip # ½: Give Employees the Power

This might fly in the face of traditional management training, but one of the key needs of employees is power. They need good training and instruction, but choosing to micromanage and control removes power and is ineffective at best. Employees benefit when they are given the chance to show what they can do, and take initiative in their workplace. Giving employees power is necessary for self-empowerment. Employees who are self-empowered do not grumble, criticize, or blame. Rather, they are supportive, encouraging, and respectful.

Employers and employees benefit from becoming self-empowered. Managers can mentor, listen, change, and give power to employees. The result is confident, productive, creative employees who are committed to their job.

To learn more about self-empowerment and its positive effect on employees and employers, enroll in the Internal Empowerment Program. We offer concrete, practical solutions based on careful research and real results.

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