Definitions
Delegating to your staff or team members is different from empowering them. Delegation is more like a one-way street, with the manager giving directions “from the top down,” so to speak. Delegation is more limited in both scope and duration than empowerment. Essentially, you are asking, when you delegate, that an employee take charge of a task and see it to completion. He may not ever do that particular task again.
By contrast, employees who have grown into empowerment—with your assistance—are in a permanent state of awareness, self-confidence, and pro-activity. They have demonstrated competence, earned your trust, and shown a willingness to take on new tasks. Empowerment is more of a two-way street: you can ...
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