Empowerment as a Daily Practice: A Real-World Story

What real empowerment looks like—through one company’s story and everyday actions you can take right now.

Empowerment in action: When leaders step back, others step forward. Trust and collaboration fuel growth.

Empowerment as a Daily Practice: A Real-World Story

People talk about empowerment a lot in organizations.

It's been a buzzword, a goal, a leadership model, an expectation of teams, and even a checkbox to assess high employee engagement scores on employee surveys.

Too often, people see empowerment as something given, as if managers hand it out like bonuses or titles. Employees wait to become empowered by the wave of a magic wand rather than recognizing that empowerment lives within them.

But real empowerment? It's not something you bestow.

You build it through trust, daily action, and creating space for people to use their strengths.

At TechSmith, the company my late husband, Bill, our employees, and I built, empowerment wasn't just an idea. It was how we survived, thrived, and created a place where people wanted to stay and grow.

Amy's Story: Growing Up Empowered

One of the best examples of this core value of empowerment is Amy Casciotti, our Vice President of HR.

Amy started working with us as an intern when she was just 16 and stayed. She grew from administrative work to HR, leadership, and ultimately, senior leadership, not because someone told her precisely what to do but because we trusted her to figure it out.

People naturally learn and grow with the proper modeling, training, environment, and expectations because they're intelligent and capable.

Amy says: "At TechSmith, empowering employees isn't just a value—it's how we've always operated, and it's a big part of why I'm still here. From the beginning, it wasn't about titles or layers of approval. It was about being trusted to contribute—even when I was young and still learning."

Empowerment as a Survival Strategy

In the early days at TechSmith, we didn't have the luxury of micromanagement. No extra layers of people cushioned each person from responsibility. Everyone was accountable, and everyone wore multiple hats.

Amy remembers: "We didn't have time to wait for decisions. If something needed to happen, you figured out how to make it happen. There were some basic guardrails, but beyond that, you had to think and act on your own. Empowerment wasn't optional—it was how we kept going."

That's where empowerment thrives—when people are trusted, supported, and allowed to act.

Leadership That Models Empowerment

Empowerment doesn't start with a policy or a directive from a senior manager. It begins with leadership.

Bill didn't provide answers. He asked questions. If you came to him with a problem, he'd often say, "What do you think?" or "What would you recommend?"

Amy learned this early: "The first time he asked me that question, I was probably 17 or 18. I remember thinking—why would he care what I think? But he wasn't just being nice. He expected me to have thoughts, to make decisions, to lead. That shaped how I've approached every role since."

Leaders who empower don't create followers. They produce more leaders.

Sustain Empowerment As Your Organization Expands

As TechSmith grew, empowerment didn't fade. It deepened. We didn't add layers of control.

We focused on coaching, not supervising. Managers weren't there to oversee every detail but to support people in managing themselves.

Amy explains: "Even as we grew, we stayed intentional. Our managers aren't there to breathe down your neck. They're there to help you succeed. But we expect people to manage their work, to own their outcomes. That only works if you trust your people and hire the right people."

What real empowerment looks like in a growing company:

• People don't earn trust. You trust people—this foundation's the starting point of all interactions.

• You expect people to step up. It's not optional.

• The right hires are everything. You can't empower the wrong people. Hiring people who have integrity, curiosity, and judgment isn't optional.

The Ripple Effects of Empowerment

Creating an environment where employees are empowered to make decisions and exercise judgment makes a successful organization. When people are empowered:

• Decisions are faster. No bottleneck exists to keep people waiting to do the right thing, like putting a customer on hold while a supervisor makes a decision.

• Innovation increases. People solve problems without waiting, permission, or oversight, leading to innovation. Realistically, all big ideas must fit within a doable, affordable framework with the whole organization in mind. However, innovations are applauded and adopted when made close to the person's job.

• Customers get better products and services. Empowered employees act without waiting for approval to know and meet customers' needs.

• Employees stay. They feel trusted, valued, and invested. People only leave when they see a huge opportunity that is too good to pass by or if they disagree with the company's direction. We are sorry we can't provide the opportunity. We are proud to contribute to the growth that enables them to pursue their dreams. We make a concerted effort to see if our visions can merge; sometimes, they can't.

Amy sees it daily: "Smart, driven people want to contribute. If we don't give them that chance, they'll leave. Empowerment isn't just a philosophy—it's how we attract and keep great people."

Your Experience of Empowerment

I know many of you are thinking, "This all sounds great, but it will never happen where I work."

And I get it.

Living empowerment is tough in an environment with limited or no support.

Most organizations have yet to discover the success they will experience with empowered employees.

I've worked with hundreds of managers and HR professionals who tell me:

• They can't make leaders want it.

• Employees don't want the accountability that accompanies empowerment.

• They're stretched too thin to spend their limited time shifting their culture.

• They've never experienced real empowerment themselves, even though it sounds awesome.

Others who haven't caught the dream or experienced the environment may ask, "What's the big deal about empowerment at work, anyway?"

And I get it. Truly.

I've helped create that empowered environment because we believed in it and were free to make it happen.

But even if you can't change everything—and many of you can't—you can start something—right now, today.

Start Empowering—Right Where You Are

Empowerment isn't a one-time gift. It's a daily choice. It doesn't require your organization to buy in and support employee empowerment. Instead, you make:

• A choice to trust.

• A choice to listen.

• A choice to create space for others to grow.

When full empowerment feels out of reach, start here with these simple steps to see the seedlings of empowerment begin to thrive.

Ask Before You Answer. Next time a person brings you a problem, ask: "What do you think?" Let them explore solutions. Support their ideas, even if they're not perfect.

Define Success—Then Let Go. When assigning a task, don't micromanage. Set clear expectations for the outcome, not the process. Let them find their way.

Give One Piece of Trust. Choose one decision or responsibility you usually hold onto, and hand it over. Tell them, "I trust you with this. Let me know how it goes."

Recognize Empowered Behavior. When an employee takes the initiative, notice it and call it out. Acknowledge their effort: "I saw how you handled that—well done."

Reflect on Yourself. If you believe in empowerment's power to develop and engage people, examine your behavior and ask a series of simple questions. You'll determine the areas that are ripe for empowerment.

• Where am I holding on too tightly?

• Where can I make space for someone else to lead?

• What can I give up to provide the opportunity for another person to grow their skills?

Empowerment Begins in Moments

Practicing empowerment doesn't have to be big or embraced by a whole organization to matter. You just need to start where you are. Your results may eventually influence your entire management team.

How does empowerment show up where you work? Where could you model it better?

Looking forward to the next issue of ValuesCrafting, building on today's discussion, I'll share more powerful steps anyone can take—even in environments where empowerment seems out of reach.

More from ValuesCrafting

Want to explore this week’s theme more deeply? These related pieces offer practical strategies and real-life examples to help you align your actions with what matters most.

• How to Build and Maintain Trust: Trust is the foundation of empowerment. This article shares practical, everyday behaviors that strengthen trust in any relationship—from the break room to the boardroom.

• Valuing People at Home: Empowerment starts with being seen and valued. This piece focuses on bringing that spirit into your closest relationships, because leadership also begins there.

• 5 Ways to Rebuild Trust When It's Broken: Empowerment without trust falters. If trust has been broken, these steps can help you lead the way back.

• How to Demonstrate Integrity: Empowerment without Integrity is a hollow promise. This article explains how to model integrity in your daily leadership and why people notice more than you think.