Leading An Accounting Firm

10Empowerment: The Secret to Exponential Growth

“The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions.”

~ ALFRED ADLER

Empowerment is a word that has gotten a lot of buzz in recent years. It seems like this word is similar to other buzzwords that are easy to pronounce and hard to implement, often bringing more buzz than change. Ideally, empowering staff members releases the energy, experience, and education of people, so they are more engaged. We want to create an environment where people can do their best and are committed—one where they act more like entrepreneurs. Leaders who empower others share their power in order to accomplish more than anyone could do alone.

Unfortunately, you can’t just tell people they have power. Overuse of the word empowerment leads to skepticism and confusion. When people hear that they are about to get the right to make significant decisions, they may doubt it. Given the number of times that employees are promised something that never comes through, who can blame them? Consequently, staff members wait for empowerment to be bestowed, and the novice leader wonders why people won’t take initiative.

In this chapter, we are going to discuss empowering people and their teams. We will delve into how to benefit from the positives of both micromanaging and abandoning your team members, without getting the negatives. We will discuss various forms of leadership and how each can be effective with giving power to individuals and their teams. This ...