I was recently driving with a friend when she had to take a call for work. Impossible not to listen over the car speaker, I found myself intrigued as my friend, who works in HR, coached an employee through a crisis.
After the call, she shared more context and, naturally, my opinionated self-jumped in with some ideas. Her response really resonated with me. She said, “I like my way best, but my way is not always the best way.”
First, that’s exactly the kind of person you want in HR! She understands that there are multiple paths to a goal. But even more so, it struck me as the mark of a great leader. It’s the ability to acknowledge your own preference, and at the same time, step back and empower your team to make the decisions that make the most sense for them or for the team as a whole. To me, this is the very definition of empowering your team—the direct opposite of micromanagement.
Empowerment vs Management
Management and empowerment may both be forms of leadership, but they create very different experiences for a team. Management is about the leader doing the directing, making the decisions, and ensuring tasks get completed. It often centers on control and oversight, which can keep things running but also keeps ownership in the leader’s hands.
Empowerment, on the other hand, shifts the focus. Instead of the leader doing things for or to the team, empowerment is about giving people the tools, trust, and autonomy to do things themselves. It sparks motivation, creativity, and accountability—because people feel trusted and capable.
Where management creates compliance, empowerment inspires commitment. Leaders who empower don’t just get things done; they grow people, expand potential, and unlock results that go beyond what one person could ever achieve alone.
The Challenge of Empowerment
Empowerment sounds ideal, but it isn’t without its challenges. Specifically…
- Can you, as the leader, genuinely step back?
- Will your people actually step up in that space?
To a significant extent, the latter depends on the former. If you preface your preference with “I like my way,” your team might perceive it as a subtle mandate. But when you follow it with “but my way might not always be the best way,” you then need to reinforce that empowerment by saying something like, “You know what’s best, it’s your call,” or “Run with it and let me know how it goes.”
It takes courage to let go of control and allow others to make decisions, even when their approach might differ from yours. Some team members may hesitate if they’re used to being managed. The key is to strike a balance—leaders must provide clear expectations, resources, and encouragement while resisting the urge to take over. When leaders commit to stepping back and team members feel both supported and accountable, empowerment shifts from theory to practice, creating stronger ownership, engagement, and results.
A Weekly Challenge
So, this week, I encourage you to reflect on the situations in your day-to-day, whether at home or at work, where you tend to simply prefer your own way. Look for an opportunity, even a small one, to let someone else try their way. You might be surprised by the outcome.