Here's how you can empower junior team members in strategic communications by delegating tasks.

How to empower team members in strategic communications? Simply, let the team be part of the strategy creation from the get-go. Having all types of team members be part of the ideation process and carry through this participation up to the work planning for implementation gives everyone ownership. It becomes a joint strategy, with joint commitment to implement.

There are two mistakes I see managers make: 1) They underestimate the amount of time and energy it takes to manage people and 2) They use cookie cutter tactics for the whole team, executing in broad strokes. It's imperative that a manager understands not only what motivates an individual, but what is the most important to them that makes them feel valued. These are unique to each individual. What you say to your employees is not the only thing that matters and should be customized, but how you say it and when you say it. Sometimes knowing what time of day the employee is at their best, delivering it in a way that you know speaks their language and motivating them towards a goal that matters to them will make a world of a difference.

Empowering team members is leader's responsibility. There are many forms of empowerment and depend on the need and spesific goals. Delegating task is one of those forms of empowerments. Before delegation, we have to explain the details of the delegation especially the goals so that the delegation is well understood by our team members. Monitoing the progrees to date, feddbak provision and clear direction is required to have great result of delegation. Once the delegation drives to biger impact not only to the goals achiement but also to our team members, we can say that delegation is succes. We need to confirm that our team members feel blessed and empowered through delegation.

One practice I learned almost 20 years ago and still continue to do today is after having a fruitful discussion with an employee about their goals and objectives is to immediately follow up in email recapping the conversation. This should be less formal, but very clear and concise. The primary purpose of this exercise is to always make sure your employee has something in writing to refer back to so they never feel confused about how they can achieve success in the workplace. I think it's important to also reference the email at least once a month or so as a check-in and share where you have noticed some great improvement or acknowledge accomplishments that will encourage them to continue towards completing their goals.

Training, training, training! There is nothing more intimidating to a junior team member than referencing software or tools that the company adopted and make the assumption that they should already know how to use it, how to interpret the results and how to apply those results to any project.Do not make assumptions and ask them how comfortable they are with the tool. Make sure you create an environment where they should feel comfortable to say "not at all" and then provide them the proper training and walk through before asking for results. I also highly encourage you to partner them with up someone else on your team or a cross-functional team that is an expert in the tool so they feel they have someone to turn to other than their manager.

Start together 🤝 Junior employees will feel like your partners when you share a common task. It would be an introduction to new responsibilities - on one hand junior will be learning from you, on the other hand you will be able to observe his/her work. Just keep the right balance and distance to not micromanage nor abandon. Step by step 🚶♀️➡️🏃♀️➡️🏆 This way the other team members, or wider, company community, will recognise that tasks are shared now to be fully delegated in the future. It’s like natural development. Nobody will be surprised when junior employee starts to lead chosen duty. You will also show a good example of leadership.

When people understand how a task fits in to the bigger picture of what you're doing as a team, you feel way more engaged and more likely to do a better job. Don't just assign a task in a vacuum.