So what exactly does it mean to empower people in the workplace? In Successful Diversity Management Initiatives (1996), I wrote that “Empowerment refers to a sense of personal power, confidence and positive self-esteem. Empowerment involves a process of change that can be achieved in relation to specific goals.” Make no mistake, empowerment of self or others involves thoughtful planning, having actionable alternatives and of course, following through. Did I make the changes or succeed as desired?

The term empowerment is not an all or nothing proposition; empowerment needs to be personalized and contextualized. It can mean giving a new employee support and guidance to meet their first six-month goals. For mid-career professionals, it may mean ensuring they have the appropriate professional development and workplace experiences and exposure to move to the next level in the organization.  For more senior employees an organization wants to retain, a sponsor may identify opportunities and lobby to develop the individual’s talent with new assignments and perhaps other perks.

Contemporary organizations are flatter than ever before making “upward” progress unlikely or very slow at best.  Employees at our school have discussed the limits in upward mobility and their desire to have new career challenges and opportunities.  How can I empower advancement in an educational system where career progression is narrowly defined by years of experience, assuming more responsibility and delivering on goals?

Participation in employee-led work groups like the Green Teams, Wellness Committees, Inclusion and Engagement Committees and reading circles, among other opportunities to continue learning, can get employees involved in leadership activities. I encourage individuals to attend conferences relevant to their work or invite them to attend with me. Finally, because of the flatness of our school, I assign projects that increase individuals’ responsibilities and scope of influence, and then help them be successful.

Organizations and managers must consider how they frame and apply the term empowerment in their organization. Indeed, disempowered employees can be a drag on business goals.  Remember, “Empowerment involves a process of change that can be achieved in relation to specific goals.”

Have you ever wondered why some individuals always seem to keep their cool in the midst of a heated meeting? Why can Manager A deliver critical feedback with kindness and calmness and Manager B fumble through a similar conversation? The answer is emotional intelligence (EI), a skill associated with competent leadership and excellent communication.

Fundamentally, EI is a personal resource that is put into action in daily workplace encounters by all of us. Daniel Goleman discusses the domains of personal and social competence for self-management and relationship management.  Frankly, without well-developed EI, one is likely to have many frustrations.

Because the workplace involves varying interpersonal activity, we may find ourselves consciously assessing how to respond in a given situation. Do I listen to someone drone on about why they cannot complete an assignment or do I interrupt with “care” and redirect the conversation toward a solution?

On a daily basis I have my “buttons pushed,” but I learned a long time ago that responding versus reacting is the course to follow. This is an example of self-awareness and self-management, two of Goleman’s EI competencies.  In other words, I have to recognize why my emotions are rising. What did someone say or do that hit a chord? Second, in these circumstances, my awareness allows me to remain calm, pause, ask for clarification, walk away and so forth.

As a psychologist, I learned to be a good listener. In therapy, good listening is essential but in many other work situations simply listening is insufficient.  As a dean, I have to give constructive feedback, ask for information and make recommendations in a clear and succinct manner. Even though I believe I am communicating with clarity, I also have to remember about the power differential with others. This means, I must be aware of how others project on to me attributes of dominance and control just because of my role. With EI, we engage in role-taking strategies so that we can see more than our singular perspective — “communication is not what you say but what others understand.”

How well is your EI working? Share an example of when your EI was a resource at work.

The U.S. is known for competitiveness as a national value. Whether it is sports teams, rankings of colleges and universities, awards for the best performers, musicals and now the programs featuring aspiring entertainers, being the “best” is a thriving aspiration in many contemporary life settings. The workplace is no exception.

How would you know you were working for a great place? When seeking a new job, what criteria attract you to certain employers and not others?  If you could design your ideal workplace, what qualitative attributes would you include?  Where does money fit in? What gives organizations a competitive advantage to attract the best talent,– IT professionals, nurses, financial analysts or university professors?

Every January, the Great Place to Work Institute and Fortune magazine release findings from an annual survey about the best 100 companies in the U.S.  In the fall, they release a report on the Best Small and Medium Companies and a listing of the Best Workplaces in 45 countries. Findings in this report are highly instructive because they capture a breadth of characteristics, many qualitative, that are the ingredients for “best” companies.

From the annual survey, we learn that trust, cooperation and commitment are among the primary factors that emerge for the “best companies.”  But there is more when it comes to operationalization of these attributes.

A paper released by the Great Place to Work Institute provides greater depth to “Creating Trust: It’s Worth the Effort.” I have picked out a few highlights from the report because as an organizational leader, I recognize that for me trust is a fundamental value and ingredient to workplace relationships, inspiring others and achieving with pride.

Embedded in “trust” is the practice of fairness.  How often does perception of fairness become an issue in your workplace? I have heard colleagues lament the lack of salary increases that were promised, merit pay that has become a thing of the past and concerns of having to do more with less as affecting their performance. Is it fair that in the world of limited resources in higher education, senior employees have hit the salary ceiling or in the private sector that positions are eliminated in the service of increased profit margins?

There are many uncontrollable variables in contemporary workplaces, but another factor contributing to trust is effective communication. I like to say that I work with all adults and although sometimes the voice from the top has to speak, I rather like two-way communication. Regardless of the size of the organization, creating teams to take on initiatives and then report back to everyone facilitates more open communication and trust. Not everything is the administration’s idea!

Best Companies indicate more collaboration and solicitation of ideas and feedback from their managers contribute to trust-building. In these companies, there is reciprocity because managers follow-up. There is nothing worse than being asked to share ideas and then find a report sitting on a shelf.

With trust as a linchpin value, cooperation and commitment result. The Great Place to Work reports there is lower turnover, more applicants to these companies and overall, greater financial performance.

With contemporary attention to talent as a workplace priority, it behooves both individuals and employers to learn about the ingredients for Best Companies.  I also recommend, Better Make It Real by Jill Morin, former co-CEO of Kahler Slater, a design firm named among the top small companies seven years in a row.  Jill will be featured in an upcoming video on CSW (studyofwork.com) discussing the five Ds for their organizational success.

Meanwhile, let us know how trust is fostered in your organization. What results when trust is a practiced organizational value?