November 14, 2017 By WorkSocial Editorial
Many business owners can’t help but micromanage employees, but a truly talented CEO encourages autonomy and purpose within the organization. Of course, there is a risk in fostering autonomy.
It’s a lot like the old saying:
“If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.“
When you know you’ve got a quality team member who is talented and trustworthy, you hold on loosely. (Hey, wasn’t that a song in the 80’s?) Anyway, freedom breeds trust and with trust comes more freedom.
The employee who is given autonomy will be a higher caliber employee! And yes, there is always the chance the autonomous employee will fly away some day, or worse yet, surpass you in business success. A confident CEO has the guts to hire the person who possesses the lions share of business savvy. Those are the kind of risks that pay off in the long run. In real estate, they say you should buy the least expensive house on the block. The strategy in business is, hire a subordinate who is a wee bit brainier than you.
If you have already decided to foster autonomy within your organization, it starts during the initial interview. Organize the conversation and questions toward autonomy and purpose, every time. Do not vary the process you formulate as long as the company continues to embrace these values.
However, not everybody deserves autonomy, so it is important that you hire someone who is deserving of what you are about to give them.
Hopefully you already know what the organizational purpose is because it is entirely up to you. Now you want to find out as much as possible about your future employee. What motivates them? What are their core values? What is their individual purpose?
You need someone who thinks bigger than money and security. You should be looking for an artistic inventor who has a purpose greater than themselves. Someone who is motivated by their own innovation; someone who accomplishes small goals toward their life purpose.
Once your interview processes are secure and you’ve done your part in getting the right person for the team, what can you do as the CEO to foster these values within the organization? Here are a few strategies to kick around:
Autonomous employees should be able to own their successes and failures. They must deliver in the workplace. Obviously, they need to motivate themselves and produce great results with very little supervision.
“Defining purpose is a straightforward proposition. In its simplest form, purpose is the organization’s reason for being“
A purpose is threefold:
Creative differences and fresh ideas originate from people who have varying ideas about purpose. The purpose of an organization can change over time. This is something that you should be evaluating on a regular basis.
“No matter what you do, your job exists for a reason. When you know that reason – and when you fully understand how your efforts make the world a better place for someone else – you have found your job’s purpose“
“Work should be purposeful and meaningful. It should contribute to making the world a better place. It should be a cause that’s making a difference in people’s lives“
How does your organization make the world a better place? Do you have a mission statement? Here are a few examples of big companies and their mission statements:
Autonomy is a reward given to highly valuable members of a team. Purpose is our reason for getting out of bed in the morning. We want employees to value the company as if they own it. Autonomy and purpose are the bridge to achieving that goal in the 21st Century.
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