
Operational Empowerment with Shawn Casemore
Operational Empowerment with Shawn Casemore
SUMMARY:
In this week’s episode of the Sailing to Success Podcast Show, Lyndsay Phillips interviews Shawn Casemore. Shawn Casemore is the author of Operational Empowerment: Collaborate, Innovate, and Engage to Beat the Competition. Shawn is an international speaker and writer and the principal at Casemore And Co. Inc., based in Toronto, Canada. Lyndsay and Shawn discuss operational empowerment, team culture, and motivation.
MAIN QUESTIONS ASKED:
- Tell us about your book Operational Empowerment.
- How would you explain culture?
- How would you explain empowerment in the context of building a community?
- Should we be setting expectations with our employees and how should we do it?
- Do you take personality types into consideration?
- Is there anything else that plays a role in employee morale and empowerment?
- Should online entrepreneurs do things differently?
- How does employee empowerment affect a business’s ROI?
KEY LESSONS LEARNED:
Operational Empowerment
- Businesses often face the same difficulties no matter what sector or industry they are in.
- Employees are generally not included in the challenges facing the business, they lack the big picture that the managers operate with.
- Employees generally aren’t motivated by money but instead want empowerment.
- The value of engaged employees will come through with their interactions with your customers.
Culture
- Culture can be redefined as a community. Communities are composed of small and large groups that may or may not feel involved and invested.
- You can change the perception your employees have of your business by redefining it as a community and creating an environment that encourages employees to get invested in the company’s success.
- Include your employees in the interview process, they are the ones who will be working with the new person and can have a lot of insight into what works.
- Personality assessments can be useful but you shouldn’t paint someone with a broad brush based on a personality test.
Employee Motivation
- Employees have more access to education than ever before.
- Your employees are a source of ideas that can be tapped into.
- Give your employees the power to make decisions and use their education and unique information to motivate them.
- Is it on your calendar to visit with your employees to tell them what’s going on in the business?
- The employees are your frontline, without them there is no business.
- Be open and receptive to the people you work with. Allow your employees to come to the table with solutions, encourage their participation.
- When you hire someone, share your goals and where the business is going and set expectations for how they will work and how you work. Encourage them to offer their ideas and help solve problems. Introduce them to your team once you find a good fit.
- Give new employees time to get up to speed. Constantly stay in touch, as the leader you should strive to stay in contact with your employees and not become isolated.
- Face to face interaction is the most clear way to communicate with people, in the case of an online team Skype is a good substitute.
Online Communication
- Responding quickly online is a good way to take advantage of everyone else’s slow communication.
- Know your strengths, you might create a better connection with someone over the phone instead of through an email.
- Your ability to service your customers will determine how you can set your prices in the market.
Final Tips
- Give your employees ownership over their role and get them engaged.
- Always try to communicate face to face if possible.
- Think of your company as a community instead of a culture.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast with Shawn Casemore, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating and review in iTunes!
LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Operational Empowerment: Collaborate, Innovate, and Engage to Beat the Competition