AUTONOMY is about having choices and a sense of control. It is about having the confidence to be ourselves, and the self-awareness to know who we are and what we want.
It includes, but is not limited to, other dimensions like delegation, choices, empowerment and self-responsibility.
NO-FEAR CULTURE
YOUR SELF
Responsibility. Autonomy means owning your own reality, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, opinions and memories. When you feel empower to make choices and take responsibility for your actions.
YOUR TEAM
Interdependence. As much as autonomy implies independence, we are social animals and depend on others. When members of a team share and work towards common goals it is individually and collectively empowering.
YOUR BOSS
Delegation. Managers can often micromanage in order to drive results. The unintended consequence is people stop taking accountability. Managers need to delegate accountability by clearly communicating what needs to be done, and why, then empowering team members to make choices on how they do it.
YOUR COMPANY
Trust. All organisations need controls on what we can and can’t do. Many of these are legitimate but human bias towards risk aversion can make work environments very easily become over controlling. Incrementally removing controls by trusting and people to make the right decision removes the fear of being controlled.
