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In a recent team meeting, something became undeniably clear to me: Although I’ve got a bold, clear vision for my PR firm, not everyone on my team felt confident about stepping into it, either when I first hired them or even later, once they were an established staffer.
Some felt they lacked the education to connect their daily work to our broader purpose; others simply didn’t believe they were equipped to carry out that purpose. When they shared their thoughts with me, that’s when I realized where leadership meets reality. A vision without empowered people behind it is just a poster on a wall — it’s nothing but a framed motto in the office that no one pays attention to with their heads down at their desks.
As leaders, therefore, it’s our job to go beyond just articulating a mission. We must create the systems, the culture and the psychological safety our teams require to own it. Execution doesn’t happen because the boss demands it; it happens because people believe they have the capacity and capabilities to execute.
If you want your team to execute your vision, start by making sure they understand it, see themselves in it and feel supported enough to take resolute steps forward. Vision becomes reality through confident action, and confident action begins with intentional leadership. Here are the guidelines I relay to my team to enable that.
Step #1: Trust your judgment
Remind every member on your team that they were hired for their strengths and instincts. If you didn’t see in them characteristics that would serve both your own company objectives and their professional growth, you wouldn’t have brought them on. So counsel them to trust their own judgment — built on their distinct proficiencies and experiences — when they’re making decisions on behalf of your organization. The more they see that you have trust in them, the more they’ll trust themselves.
Related: 7 Ways to Build Consumer Trust Naturally
Step #2: Self-assurance counts
Even when your people feel a little trepidatious or unsure on the inside, you want your customers to feel assured in your company’s services or products. So I tell my staff to speak with confidence in their responses and communications, which sets our clients at ease and makes them feel well taken care of.
It’s fine to still be learning (to always be learning, actually); it’s okay to not always have the answers. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t present yourself as knowledgeable and resourceful in the interests of the company’s overall goals. Saying, “You know, I’m not 100% sure of that, but I’ll ask our marketing director and get back to you with an answer by the end of the day” is just as reassuring to the client as having the answer readily available on the spot.
Step #3: Mistakes are fixable
Mistakes are going to happen. People are going to mess up. Details are going to slip through the cracks. It’s inevitable. But you can make your staff feel vitally supported even when missteps occur by explaining that there’s nothing someone can say or do that can’t be corrected. Maybe it can’t be erased or totally remedied, but I can’t think of any company faux pas we’ve experienced that hasn’t been made better by a concerted effort to improve the situation.
We all grow by trying, not by being paralyzed by fear or giving in to anxiety. So make it part of your company ethos — make sure your people know that it’s okay to slip up and that you’ll be there for them to get them back on solid footing. By doing so, you’ll all continue to advance toward a vision that’s perfectly imperfect for your company profile.
Step #4: Be forward-thinking
A great way to effectively execute a company vision is to keep looking at it through your forward-facing windshield, not your rearview mirror. So I consistently encourage my team members to anticipate needs, plan next steps, devise solutions, sometimes even before there’s a need for them.
Part of this mindset is prompting your people to lead from where they are, to not wait to be led. When you allow this kind of autonomy and self-determination at work, it boosts your team’s morale, it builds their cumulative strength, and it shepherds them toward enacting their own informed choices. All of this feeds into your company vision positively, proactively and powerfully.
Step #5: Don’t wait for permission
On a related but separate note, you can nurture your team by permitting them to not seek permission. True, you don’t want people going rogue and implementing plans that could negatively affect your client base or that involve pricing. But if something falls squarely within their role and it aligns with the spirit and intent of your company’s values, let your team members roam free. Just be sure they’re well-versed on those values first!
Examples of this: I let my writers write the way they think is best for our clients. I let my publicists devise their own pitching hooks and press release themes. I let my operations manager manage operations without too much input from me, and I let my client representatives establish their own one-on-one personal relationships with their accounts. If things aren’t clear, they know they can ask questions. If they need authorization for something, they know who to go to. But mostly, I like to write out a lot of permission slips and see how far my staff can go on their own merits.
Related: The Most Successful Founders Take Retreats — Here’s Why You Should, Too
Step #6: Management has your back
If you’re grooming a team that can help you progress toward your overarching vision for your company day by day, it’s imperative that they feel wholly supported in their efforts. This means showing them — not just telling them — that leadership is there to guide, to bolster, to champion, not to micromanage.
Nothing will kill a company’s elan like looking over everyone’s shoulder every day and questioning their actions. Instead, management should embrace the role of being the team’s coach and cheerleader all in one, the buttress to lean upon when reinforcement is needed and the voice that amplifies their own rather than stymying it.
When you empower your team with all these ideas and ideologies, empowerment isn’t just part of your culture; it becomes your culture. And when you’re the wind beneath your team’s wings, not only will they fly, you’ll all fly strong and steady together toward the company of your dreams.
In a recent team meeting, something became undeniably clear to me: Although I’ve got a bold, clear vision for my PR firm, not everyone on my team felt confident about stepping into it, either when I first hired them or even later, once they were an established staffer.
Some felt they lacked the education to connect their daily work to our broader purpose; others simply didn’t believe they were equipped to carry out that purpose. When they shared their thoughts with me, that’s when I realized where leadership meets reality. A vision without empowered people behind it is just a poster on a wall — it’s nothing but a framed motto in the office that no one pays attention to with their heads down at their desks.
As leaders, therefore, it’s our job to go beyond just articulating a mission. We must create the systems, the culture and the psychological safety our teams require to own it. Execution doesn’t happen because the boss demands it; it happens because people believe they have the capacity and capabilities to execute.
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