We need to make happy those we want to make better!

Business cultures are changing, as are working and management methods. And this is a good thing, because trust and empowerment, which are becoming increasingly vital today, hold immense potential for success, both individually and for the collective organization.

I will never forget the following words of a professor who inspired my studies: “You need to make happy those you want to make better”. That sentence echoes my deep belief in human nature and the extraordinary ability of people, both individually and collectively, to follow through on an idea or initiative when they feel fully invested in it. We all have the potential and, if I dare to say, the duty to make the most of all of our talents. Realizing our potential is a responsibility we hold to ourselves. Helping people to grow and enabling the expression of individualities and the collective is also a duty of organizations – and the key to their success. The key is knowing how to create an environment that makes a person confident, happy and in full possession of their means, so that they can give the best of themselves.

Let’s start with a widespread truth: in our individual experience, we all want people to trust us. Trust is the most admirable and powerful gift that we can give to others. In contrast, the demotivation resulting from distrust in an inefficient organization has huge consequences. It wastes time, wears down talented individuals, and leads to mediocre compromises and poorly executed decisions. The essential role of a manager, then, is to build a trusting environment with their team, one that enables each individual to go further, empowering them to contribute to a shared goal.

Trust is not about being naive. Some conditions need to be gradually created so that the relationship can best express itself.

·          First of all, managers need to know how to choose the right people for their team. Which means they also need the courage to decide on different paths for those who do not fulfil all the requisite conditions, as part of an approach that is demanding but considerate.

·          The roles of each person at an organization need to be clearly defined, so that each individual perceives the importance of their efforts and contribution in a fully responsible manner, is gratified by a task well done or a decision well taken, and is able to account for themselves after the fact.

·          You also need to have a shared vision, one that gives meaning and sets out clear objectives. Empowering employees calls for adequate dialogue between the manager and their team members (and it is a two-way street!), focused on priorities and the resources required. This prevents approaches based on control and micro-management that often results from a misunderstanding stemming from a lack of communication.

Empowerment and trust generate positive and powerful implementation, with teams quickly rolling out a shared decision enriched by all. Organizations learn from their failures and foster risk-taking and experimentation, which are vital to success. In a sense, managers are like mountain guides, leading their co-workers to a hard-to-reach summit that no-one would have attained alone. The team works like a roped party in which each person supports and complements one another on the basis of mutual trust.

 “What gets measured gets done” goes the well-known phrase, implying a host of indicators and KPIs. Success in today’s complex world is achieved by harnessing a shared vision: “What gets shared gets done!”

Trust and empowerment challenge managers to leave their comfort zones, let go, and relinquish the traditional “command and control” approach. I know this is not always easy. The best antidote to the unease caused by that challenge, and to the fears that may be prompted by these deep-seated changes, is probably self-confidence combined with the ability to truly and sincerely listen to employees.