𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝.

Stop trying to “empower” people who don’t feel understood.

Companies love to talk about empowerment... as if handing someone a little more autonomy fixes everything. It doesn’t.

You can’t motivate someone you never listen to. And you definitely can’t build trust with a perk. Free lunches, wellness apps, and hybrid Fridays don’t replace being heard. People don’t want to be managed; they want to be known.

When people feel understood, they don’t need empowerment; they take ownership on their own. They stop waiting for permission. They start building, improving, and leading.

The truth is, most teams don’t need another policy. They need more leaders who listen without ego.

So before you roll out your next engagement initiative, try this instead:

Ask one person, “What’s something I don’t understand about your work?”

Then shut up and listen.