One of the most common complaints I hear from leaders is their team’s lack of initiative and motivation. Yet even in the US, where 32% of employees are engaged (vs. 8% in France), the opportunity to energize people is enormous.
Daniel Kahneman (author of 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸) illustrated why in a famous experiment. Participants who wrote their own lottery number valued their ticket five times more than those given a random one. Same odds. Same luck. The difference? 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆.
Humans support what they help create.
𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆?
Because they think they’ll do it best, fear being outperformed, rush instead of training, or believe it’s “their job” to do it all.
This is a lose-lose strategy.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:
• Invite people into the process
• Involve them in decisions
• Build ownership to build buy-in
• Let them shape the work they deliver
• Show trust, this is why you hired them
A lack of autonomy traps corporate leaders and business owners alike. The better they perform, the harder it is to grow without a succession plan or a strong talent pipeline. Autonomy isn’t optional. It’s a performance catalyst, one of the fastest ways to drive engagement and performance.
And here’s the truth: withholding autonomy doesn’t make you indispensable. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿.
For ambitious leaders at any level, the more autonomy they create for their team, the faster they grow themselves.
Curious how autonomy could transform your team? Let’s connect for a free conversation.
Give Autonomy to Get Results
