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Empowerment enables

  • Published
  • By Col. Gary Goldstone
  • 375th Airlift Wing commander
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  It seems like it was yesterday when Mary and I taught our kids how to ride a bike. Building their confidence with encouragement and praise, we showed them how to maintain balance, steer and pedal. Then with one hand on their backs and the other over the handle bars, we gave them a little push. We ran alongside our intrepid bike riders at first. But, once we knew they could manage on their own, we let go.

A good leader uses the same approach in the workplace - empowerment.

Empowerment is a key element in both leadership and followership. Empowered employees have a say in what direction the organization is heading and how it will get there. For the 375th Airlift Wing, empowerment enables combat power!

With budget constraints, limited resources and manpower cuts affecting organizations both in the civilian and military workforce, goals can no longer be met by restricting employees to a rigid set of roles and responsibilities.

Mission accomplishment now depends on employees who know how to manage themselves by prioritizing tasks, forecasting potential pitfalls and gains, planning ahead, budgeting resources and solving problems creatively. Organizations need employees who can not only "start pedaling" but also "ride the bike" on their own.

Empowering employees benefits the organization as a whole. By artfully developing their employees' aptitudes with the right measure of guidance and independence, leaders not only communicate trust but bolster their employees' self-confidence.

It is this self-confidence that in turn inspires, motivates and challenges employees to learn, to take on new responsibilities, to find ways to improve processes and to seek mission success.

Empowerment also instills pride of ownership. Empowered employees take a personal, vested interest in their work. They put the best of themselves in every project giving it the time and attention required to ensure the project is done correctly. Empowered employees willingly go above and beyond to ensure the end product exceeds expectations.

With a renewed focus on precision and reliability, empowerment is a key leadership tool that promotes personal responsibility. Servicemembers who adopt personal responsibility of their assigned duties are less likely to deviate from prescribed regulations and guidelines. They are also less inclined to finish projects haphazardly thereby reducing and minimizing safety and security risks.

Empowerment is a valuable and important tool leaders at all levels must incorporate into their work environment. Leaders who "empower" foster more thoughtful discussion about organizational issues and initiatives while meeting mission goals with greater success.

It has been said that a team is only as strong as its weakest member. Empowerment makes the team as a whole stronger and enables them to fly, fight and win. AIR POWER!