Empowerment and Being Energetic, Bold,
and Imaginative
—Doug Fleener, Dynamic Experiences Group
May 28, 2008

I hear companies talk about "empowering" people all the time but all too often there isn't anything backing up the talk. You can only truly empower people if the owner, executives, and/or managers have defined what they are empowered to do.

One company I worked with told their employees to "do whatever it takes to make the customer happy." When I asked how much leeway the employees had in pricing I was told "none." When I asked how much leeway they had in taking returns that were outside the company policy I was told "none." It appeared that those employees could do whatever it took to make the customer happy - as long as the customer was already happy.

These employees needed to be given specific guidelines so they would be truly empowered to help their customers. They were told they could give up to 15% off a product without a manager's approval and they could accept the return of any product up to a certain dollar amount regardless of when it was bought. While there may be some instances where the staff doesn't have the authority to do anything and everything, these guidelines cover 98% of all customer issues.

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In a closed meeting with over 1,000 Sony top managers, Chief Executive Howard Stringer has told his managers that it is time to be more aggressive.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Mr. Stringer said the company should act more quickly in order to take back its leadership position in the electronics industry. "I'm asking you to get mad," Stringer said in one of his most strongly worded speeches, according to those people. He also asked them to be more "energetic," "bold" and "imaginative" in running their businesses.

Energetic, bold, and imaginative. Love it. What does that mean to you in your position? I believe that to be successful right now any manager needs all three of these attributes.

Energy is the fuel that drives leaders. People need to see and feel their leader's energy and passion. They need to believe that their store/company can and will be successful today. Do your people see and feel your positive energy?

To be bold is to take risks and not play it safe. It means to try new things and encourage others to do the same. It means to stretch yourself and stretch others. Are you approaching your day boldly?

And finally, are you being imaginative in your approach to work? Are you thinking about how to do something rather than why you can't? Are you testing new approaches to old ways? That brings me back to that time spent every day strategizing your business. You can't be bold and imaginative if you're just going about your day without any overall strategy or plan.

I challenge you to take on this day and be energetic, bold, and imaginative! The rewards are there for those who do so.

Doug Fleener is a consultant, keynote speaker, and a veteran retailer with over 25 years of hands-on experience with world-class retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. Doug is now president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a retail consulting firm dedicated to creating unique retail experiences that allow retailers to stand out from the competition, resulting in higher sales and profits. Learn more at www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com or call Doug
at 866-535-6331.