What kind of autonomy does your team actually want?

When asked as a binary question, people will say they want autonomy–because we’re all the hero-protagonists of our own life stories. But it’s not really a binary concept, and unpacking what kind of autonomy your team wants can help you lead more effectively & give them the support they actually need.

Autonomy involves ownership over decisionmaking. So ask your team: what decisions do they want to outsource? And which ones do they truly, non-negotiably care about?

Having the ability to say “no” and veto a particular project is vastly different from choosing whose voice is even valid in a conversation. Somewhere on that continuum (and ever in motion) is the sweet spot where your team has control over what they care about, but isn’t spending cycles thinking through things that would be better off just dictated. (This, by the way, becomes the job of a single person, and if you don’t know who it is, it’s you.)

Have the conversations to narrow this down, then experiment, and ask for feedback. You’ll likely find that people will be happier not worrying about things they don’t prioritize so long as they have control over the things they truly value, and that as an effect you’ll realize a more satisfied team that has shorter, sharper meetings.

Note: I’ll be traveling with family and on break for the next few weeks; I may squeeze in a post or two, or possibly none at all. Regularly scheduled posts will resume August 29th.