Yin and yang of empowerment

“My boss loves to ‘talk’ about empowerment - talk is in inverted commas.” In a recent conversation with an employee, this was the response I got when I asked him about his manager’s efforts to empower his team.

This response is tongue in cheek. This response is not uncommon. This response makes a mockery of the most publicly current vow of empowerment that most managers profess. It is definitely the talk of the seminars. It is definitely the part of the corporate speak. It is definitely the need of the hour. Despite such rhetorical popularity, in practice it still has a minority status. This is a factual situation. One of the biggest indicators is that the empowerment - real or rhetorical - is the level of engagement. The level of employee engagement is presently record low. Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report tells an alarming story: global employee engagement has slid to 20% — the lowest percentage since 2020.

Empowerment lies at the heart of engagement. When I asked an employee, who was working in a good organisation and earning healthy compensation, why he wanted to leave, he replied, “My manager has just hired us to do cheerleading. We have no say in most matters.” This is a feeling that is echoing in most work chambers. The most common type of leader is the one who feels since he is a leader, he needs to take all the decisions. Many employees talk about the classic micromanager who does not trust his team. He does not delegate. He does not empower. He does not develop. In today’s complex world, with pressures to achieve more and more, most leaders do not have the time and patience to develop teams. That is why teams become average. That is why teams become disheartened. That is why teams become disengaged. That is why seemingly well performing companies start tumbling down.

There are two problems with empowerment. Firstly, the leader is insecure and is afraid of sharing different powers, i.e., delegation power, knowledge power, authority power. Secondly, the leader wants to empower but does not have the right structure and system to do it. The first one is, of course, much more dangerous. The second one is more correctable. The two best ways to mess up empowerment are when you do:

A. Empowerment without accountability: Empowerment is NOT abandonment. Many leaders feel great about assigning work to employees and then not really keeping track. The excuse they have is that they do not want to be a micro-manager. They want to allow the employee freedom etc. All very noble. However, sometimes this makes the employee feel scared. Sometimes the lack of followup may result in a huge mistake that may then become a red mark on the employee’s career. That is why some mutually agreed upon feedback meetings are a must to ensure the employee gets the guidance and support he or she requires.

B. Empowerment without development: The other mistake is the mismatch. Delegating without doing the 3As assessment, i.e., Ability, Authority, Accomplishment record. Has the employee been trained to do this project? Have they got the relevant experience? Have they been given the authority to make key decisions? If the leader has not taught them to swim in deep waters and sends them to the sea, it will be a guaranteed drowning.

Once these structural and systemic processes are streamlined, the leaders need to know the elements that create real empowerment.

Empowerment element 1: Clarify and involve –Assignments given without clarifying the what and why are just meaningless tasks. People will do them without passion. Empower means making people excited about the assignment. That requires a purpose clarification conversation. When giving an assignment do not just hand over. First discuss the purpose, the importance. Then explain the contribution the employee can make in this role. Then ask them what they think should be done. Let them ask. Let them debate. Let them argue. The more the discussion, the more the clarity. Let them challenge areas of difficulty. There may be a negotiation on the deadlines. This brings buy-in.

Empowerment Element 2-Ask and enable – While the micromanager tells it all, the empowering manager asks the employee their opinion. The micromanager instructs, microsupervises and pushes. The empowering leader asks, develops mutually agreed timelines and checks and lets the employee decide their own way of doing within discussed boundaries. The leader, however, ensures that the employee is properly trained and equipped to deal with the assignment. If the assignment requires experience and skills, the leader ensures only people with experience are chosen. They are sent on various courses and market studies to provide skills. Once the ability matches the opportunity the delegation process ensues.

Empowerment Element 3-Track and give Feedback –Empowerment is not a “give and forget” exercise. It is “do and review” in a decent, mutually agreed upon timeline exercise. Feedback is almost like a corporate swear word. Review meeting may be a more acceptable word. This meeting is done by the employee to show work, status, issues and suggested solutions. The leader must highlight the de-trackers in terms of planned vs. achieved variances. A retracking strategy needs to be formed with clear and measurable goals and timelines. This process needs to be documented and shared with relevant people to ensure it is part of a system. If they are making mistakes, do not jump in to take over.  Instead speed up the training and enabling process.

Empowerment Element 4-Recognise and appreciate: This is the most important element to make empowerment an exciting experience. being part or being apart Despite it being free of financial burden, appreciation is used very stingily by most leaders. Empowering means appreciating them for every milestone they achieve. In the weekly session for tracking progress, leaders should look out for work well done. Appreciate on the spot. Celebrate in the team. Recognise by giving some award on a company function. Let the employee feel they are valued and their effort has made a difference.

Empowering is not a free for all process. Empowering is not about macro management. Empowering is a meaningful transfer of skills, responsibility and support. Empowering means trusting people. Empowering means inclusion. Empowering means involvement. Empowering means letting people do work that stretches them. Empowering means encouraging them. Empowering means appreciating them and celebrating their progress. Leadership, in essence, is not about how much power you have but how many others you have empowered to unleash their potential.