Empowered Employees Can Make or Break a Business

You can tell when you’re dealing with empowered employees, can’t you? They’re agile. They step up and solve your problem. They aim to please, and make it look like no trouble at all.

Here’s what I’m talking about. I was going to a show at the brand new Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. A reggae band was performing in a rather small concert hall. It dawned on me, right before the lights went down, that my 89-year old mother might have trouble with the loud music. We didn’t have earplugs with us, so I decided to run out and ask guest services where I could buy some.

The employee hesitated for a moment, looked at her watch noting the concert was about to start, and said, “I’ll run and get you some. Which row are you seated in? I’ll bring them to you.” Five minutes later, she comes bounding up the stairs to our seats and handed us a packet of earplugs. My mom would not have been able to enjoy the two-hour show without them.

We were so impressed with the “can-do” attitude the employee demonstrated that we will not only tell all of our friends about the experience, we plan to return for another concert, an afternoon at the museum, and lunch at the café. All because of one empowered employee.