The other day I was stopped at an intersection waiting on a red light. A car in the other lane came from behind and passed me. I realized they didn’t see the red light and were going to barrel through the intersection. Before I could even honk my horn, they ran it.
I felt awful.
I saw what was happening, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. The other car was not under my control and I felt as if something horrible was going to happen right in front of me. Thankfully, they made it through safely.
Do you understand that feeling of helplessly watching something bad happen to someone else?
Let’s take it a step further. What if you were the driver of that car, and you still had no control? You would be miserable.
Companies inflict this sense of helpless misery on their workers without a second thought.
We stick them in a job and push them to go as fast as possible without a way to steer or stop. They’re speeding down a road expecting they could be sideswiped at any time, all while feeling helpless to avoid it.
This is despite research showing how giving employees a sense of choice and control increases employee engagement. Author Dan Pink has shown that providing autonomy, mastery and purpose are much better motivators than the traditional “carrot and stick” approach.
This doesn’t mean abdicating responsibility. Leaders still need to lead.
Help your people understand what your organization is trying to accomplish, and why… but give them a sense of choice and control in HOW they contribute to that purpose and those goals. This is a powerful way to harness the power of your people’s creativity and innovation.
Questions to consider:
- Does your physical workspace give people choice and control over where they work? Hint: do people always work in the same space?
- Does your technology give people the freedom to be mobile? Hint: tally up laptops and mobile phones vs. desktop computers and desk phones.
- Does your culture encourage freedom and sharing of ideas? Hint: a good indicator is how often individuals share innovative ideas.