BUSINESS

  personnel pointers

Empowering Your Team

Why and how to let go of the reigns

REBECCA L. JOHNSON, CPOT, COT, COE

When discussing team empowerment, managers will sometimes say, “It’s just easier to do it myself’ or “I can’t trust my employees to make the right decision.” Even managers who are great at delegation tend to struggle with empowerment.

The reason it is important to “let go of the reigns” is that the more empowered an employee is, the more engaged he or she becomes. In fact, according to the Tempkin Group Employee Engagement Benchmark Study 2013, engaged employees are more than twice as likely to stay late at work if something needs to be done, help someone at work even if he or she is not asked and will do something that is good for the company even if it’s not expected of him or her. In short, an empowered employee is a better, more loyal one.

Here are nine simple ways to empower your team:

1 Equip. Provide the training and tools needed to equip staff to make the best decisions. This can include anything from patient scripts to product and equipment training.

2 Avoid micromanaging. Give staff the authority to complete a project without having to check with you on every detail. Trust and support their decisions, even if the decision is not the one you would have made.

3 Ask for input. When a staff member brings you a problem, instead of providing a solution, ask what he or she thinks should be done. You might be surprised to learn that the staffer’s answer is better than yours.

4 Be accessible. Though you want to encourage staff to act independently, it’s important they feel supported. Make sure your staff knows that you are willing to help them when needed.

5 Be transparent. People can make better decisions when they understand the whole picture. Also, including them in your ultimate goals will make them more willing to help you achieve them.

6 Listen. Actively listen when an employee has an idea about how to improve processes and inefficiencies. Again, this inclusion in bigger decisions will foster a team environment.

7 Reward and recognize. Reward employees who see a project through to completion. Something as simple as a gift card with a handwritten note or recognition at a staff meeting goes a long way.

8 Let them “delight.” It’s a good idea for each optician to have a “Patient Delight Budget” to be used when patients are less than delighted by their experience at your practice. For example, say each optician has a budget of $100. That way, if a patient’s order is later than expected, the optician is empowered to smooth it over with a $25 Starbucks gift card. Of course, this should be used sparingly.

9 Allow failure. Some of the best learned lessons follow failure. Be ready to encourage, coach and support staff when they fail.

A team environment

Creating a culture of empowerment takes some work; however the benefits are well worth the effort. Staff empowerment not only enables the staff to make autonomous decisions, but it also takes pressure off the management team. OM

MS. JOHNSON IS THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF EYETRAIN4YOU AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SERVICES FOR GPN. E-MAIL HER AT REBECCA@GATEWAYPN.COM, OR VISIT TINYURL.COM/OMCOMMENT TO COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE.