The utility sector is navigating one of the most transformative periods in its history. Regulatory pressure, infrastructure modernization, decarbonization, digitalization, pick your buzzword, it’s happening. Change is no longer a cycle; it’s the operating system. The leaders who will guide utilities into the future must embrace a new mindset, one grounded in adaptability, distributed leadership, and the ability to empower others at every level of the organization.
In my work coaching senior leaders at a major energy company, one theme has come up again and again: our future depends on developing leadership deeper in the organization. Emerging managers, engineers, field employees, and analysts are often closest to the work, closest to real-time decision-making, and closest to customers. Yet too often, organizations unintentionally slow them down by centralizing decisions at the top.
When teams hesitate to act without explicit approval, innovation stalls. Risk-aversion spikes. Career growth flatlines. And those senior leaders, already double-booked, become walking bottlenecks. Empowering junior team members is not a soft-skill exercise; it is a strategic necessity.
During a recent leadership development session, a leader asked, “What do I do when my team keeps asking me questions I expect them to know, or worse, permission to act where their job already dictates they should?” Under deadline pressure and mounting projects, it’s tempting to just answer and move on. But moving quickly, due to the demand of projects and relying on the “usual suspects” creates an over-reliance on a few people and quietly teaches everyone else to wait to be told. Below are some slippery slopes of…
…What NOT to Do If You Want to Encourage Leadership
Empowerment is as much about what leaders stop doing as what they start doing. Small habits can unintentionally send the message that authority is concentrated at the top. Leaders committed to growing talent should avoid:
- Jumping in to solve problems immediately.
Ask questions first. Redirect, don’t rescue. - Bypassing managers by taking on direct requests from their team members.
It undermines the manager’s role and creates confusion about authority. - Rewarding “permission-seeking” behavior.
Instead, remind employees of their decision rights. - Being available 24/7.
Late-night responses train teams to escalate prematurely. - Turning skip-level meetings into tactical fix-it sessions.
Skip-levels should focus on listening, coaching, and building relationships—not operational problem-solving.
Our coaching session quickly turned into a discussion of how to empower the team. Think less “feeding every spoonful,” more “teach them to fish…and let them own the lake operations schedule.”
Out of that discussion came a set of quick-hit responses leaders could paste into a chat or drop into a meeting, simple micro-behaviors that empower instead of enable. Below are some simple, practical micro-behaviors leaders can adopt immediately, phrases that empower and guardrails that prevent unintentional disempowerment.
“Due to the demand of projects and relying on the “usual suspects” creates an over-reliance on a few people and quietly teaches everyone else to wait to be told.”
Phrases Leaders Can Use to Empower Their Teams
These phrases signal trust, clarity, and distributed problem-solving, three ingredients essential for resilient energy organizations:
“Let’s make sure your manager has visibility, so the whole team stays aligned.”
Empowerment paired with communication creates organizational coherence.
“You have the authority to make this call. I trust your judgment.”
This eliminates hesitation and reinforces confidence.
“That’s a great observation. What solution would you recommend?”
Leaders shift from being the answer-givers to being the thought-partners.
“This is something your manager can help drive. Can you connect with them first and then loop me in if needed?”
This strengthens mid-level leadership and reduces accidental skips in the chain of command.
“You don’t need my permission for this. You’ve got the green light.”
One clear sentence can dissolve weeks of unnecessary hand-offs.
Leadership for the Future of Utilities
Utilities must strengthen their leadership pipelines now to handle tomorrow’s volatility. When senior leaders model empowered decision-making and create space for others to lead, organizations become more agile, innovative, resilient and—yes—easier to run.
Empowerment isn’t just a leadership philosophy; it’s an operational advantage. The future of the energy sector will demand that every employee, at every level, thinks and acts like a leader. Our job now is to start letting them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As Principle Consultant and Partnership Channel Lead for Kotter International, Leslie Zemnick
leverages her corporate expertise and human capital development strategies to deliver
impactful workshops and engagements. With global experience spanning industries such as
Consumer Products, Government, High-Tech, and Energy, Leslie’s articles have appeared in
publications such as Forbes, HR Executive, and TLNT Magazine. Leslie holds a Masters in
Organizational Leadership & Learning from The George Washington University Graduate
School of Education & Human Development, a B.S. in Business Administration from Chestnut
Hill College with Minors in Studio Art, Art History, and Mathematics, and a Concentration in Art
History from Regent’s University London.
