My Not-So-Secret Secrets to Management Success: Empowerment

Team members are empowered to make their own decisions where appropriate and know when to consult. I personally don't care for micro management (too much work for me), so when choosing members for my team I look for people with a strong sense of personal accountability who drive towards finding the best possible solution. That applies to all levels of seniority, as some of my younger team members can attest to (they got to play with some serious stuff almost immediately). And guess what? They swam quite happily in those deep waters.
That level of individual decision-making freedom implies that a wrong decision isn’t grounds for immediate disciplinary action. We all are human, and make mistakes (Just ask my kids…They’ll tell you that I don't do anything right). So let's fix the mistake as quickly as possible and learn from them. What is not acceptable here is making the same mistake over and over again.
It is also important to be available for consultation, and that is a hard one. Time flies, and there are so many questions to answer. The only thing I’ve found that works: be proactive and constantly vigilant. I made a commitment to empty my email inbox by the end of each day.
Read the other parts of the series here:

1. Introduction

2. Empowerment

3. Goals

4. Feedback

5. Respect