We all want a high performing team – motivated, aligned, passionate, collaborative and results-oriented. ‘Empowerment’ seems to be the magic ingredient. It is not easy to get it right and it is made even more challenging by remote and agile working patterns. Here are a few tips to empower with success.
A shared vision. Your vision should be simple and paint a picture of the new world and the benefits it will bring. Remember, it needs to be relevant – something that can be understood and championed by your leaders.
Listen. Communications and ideas should not be pushed from the top-down. Breakdown the hierarchy. Listen to the people on the ground and then make sure you do something with it.
Get the right team. Build a team based on shared values and behaviours. You can train people in skills and systems but not in attitude and motivation.
Start small. Pick a small initiative with a small group of people and deliver it well. You can use that to showcase a positive outcome and people will follow. Everyone wants to be part of success.
Connect people. You don’t need to have the solution. Signpost and connect people so they can collaborate, share best practice and together come up with a better solution.
Many champions. Create a movement—a team of leaders and change agents to cascade change across the organisation.
Accountability. Give team members a clear remit and equip and empower them to make decisions. Make sure they have the right budget to achieve results that they can manage and control.
Fail fast. Encourage team members to take a level of risk. Learn from mistakes and things that go wrong – but quickly.
Appreciation. Recognise people’s achievement, praise and where appropriate reward accordingly. Celebrate success and have fun!
If you would like some more information and advice about managing virtual teams, please contact Esther McMorris estherm@ninefeettall.com.
