David Allan

As an Executive Coach, I work with leaders to increase both their feelings of empowerment and their leader-empowering behaviors. My master of business degree involved a thesis which explored significant positive effects from Executive Coaching on these two aspects of empowerment. The six elements of leader-empowering behaviors are: delegation, accountability, self-directed decision-making, keeping team members informed, competency development and coaching for innovative performance. The four facets of psychological empowerment are greater meaning in work, a sense of increased impact upon work outcomes, feeling more competent to do assigned work, and a sense of freedom to choose the most appropriate path to the outcomes assigned. The reality is that leaders who feel more empowered are more likely to stay longer, be more innovative and perform at a higher standard, so it is a worth while to invest in increasing their empowerment.