Autonomy is a core psychological need. Autonomy fosters creativity, innovation, and improves performance. Moreover, providing autonomy supports a culture of trust and respect, leading to increased job satisfaction and employee retainment. Leaders who prioritize autonomy are more likely to build teams that can adapt and thrive without constant supervision.
Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.
– Simon Sinek
Reflections
When I ask people what kind of leader they prefer the two most common replies are a leader who is present and who is not micromanaging. Superficially this might sound like a contradiction but we can be present without being physically in the room. We can be emotionally and psychologically present. When a team member faces a new or difficult task insted of asking you directly they might ask themselves “Which course of action aligns with our team values?”.
To be able to lead even when we are not physically present, we need to strike a balance between providing guidance and allowing autonomy.
Challenges
Situations will occur where different team values come in conflict with each other and very complex or nuanced decisions have to be made. If there is too much at stake you as a leader should ultimately make the decision. You may also sometimes have to execute the task. This is a moral standpoint that acknowledges the risk to the individual who makes the difficult choice.
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.”
— Robert K. Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader (1970)
To give a practical example, we wouldn’t want to delegate terminations of staff to a member of the team. We also would not want to delegate decisions that profoundly impact the team such as budget or legal issues.
Key Sources
Sinek, S. (2014). Leaders eat last: Why some teams pull together and others don’t. Portfolio.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.
APA Style: Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.