Don’t think for other people, support them to do their own best thinking instead.
Frustration is not good for performance, but this is what happens when people don’t get to do enough of their own thinking and are disempowered to make decisions. Micromanagement is a good example of this and especially dangerous for a team that likes to innovate and needs to think on its feet.
Autonomy is key – that means teams and team members having the right level of autonomy to think things through and make decisions.
Autonomy is one of the three principles of Intrinsic Motivation, (alongside Mastery and Purpose), so it’s also an important factor that feeds into momentum and job satisfaction. Check out Prof. Dan Pink’s book called Drive, this is one of my top three recommended books.
As it happens, autonomy also features in David Rock’s SCARF model too, which describes how it influences a person’s state (for better or for worse) and also the quality of relationship between someone and their Manager.
NOTE: This does not mean that people are working autonomously – in silos – it just means they’re not being micro-managed.
Actions
- Ask your team, do they have the right level of autonomy to make decisions within the parameters of the playing field?
- Where would they like more autonomy?
- Think these same questions through for yourself as a leader.