Seven years I labored for the coffee giant, Starbucks. Three as a barista and four as a supervisor. Being a supervisor shaped me to become a fun leader who aimed for excellent customer service. However, one of my favorite things to do was to empower my co-workers in their different phases of development.
One of the exercises as the on-duty manager was to let my co-workers “manage” the floor. For an hour or so I handed them the authority to see what decisions they would take, where they placed their focus. At first they would get nervous, telling other co-workers what to do but I knew that was part of the experience. It ultimately would boil down to two approaches: Would they take the high-speed approach but risk great customer service or would they take their time with each customer and hand-craft excellent Frappucinnos?
Every time I ‘gave’ them the power to control the floor, without mistake, I would notice how the next shift they worked, their level of awareness was greater. I learned something crucial for the rest of my life life: The greater the awareness, the easier it becomes for people to work as a team, putting others first and then themselves. Empowerment.
Do you agree with the above story on empowering others? Or do you think power must be earned? What are your thoughts?
Nelson Guerra 
