Autonomy in Leadership - Why Independence is Your Best Friend!

There are many misconceptions about Autonomy in Leadership. Autonomous leadership is not just an individualistic approach to management, but more of a self-management strategy. When people hear the term Autonomy they might think that it means being free from outside interference or control by others; this is where self-determination comes into play. Autonomy gives people freedom and independence which can be rewarding for both leaders and followers alike.

This article will help you understand what Autonomous Leadership means, why it’s important, how to do it, some strategies to improve essential EQ skills, and why autonomy is your best friend!

The history of autonomous leadership

Autonomy in leadership has been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that researchers started to study and write about it. The first article on autonomous leadership was published in 1917 by a man named Max Weber.

Max Weber’s Autonomous Leadership article was about an organization where it had a top-down hierarchical structure. Weber believed that Autonomy in leadership is when the subordinates have much independence to make their own decisions and exercise their own initiative.

In Autonomous Leadership, subordinates are not free from outside interference or control by others, but they do have self-determination which means they make independent decisions.

Autonomy in the workplace

Autonomy in the workplace has many benefits, here are some of them:

Autonomy means empowerment; when you give your employees self-determination they feel empowered to take charge of their responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed by power. They don’t have to wait for you or someone else to tell them what to do.
Autonomy reduces stress and increases productivity; when your employees have a sense of ownership they feel fulfilled because they are not just going through the motions but taking action on decisions that help their team succeed.
Autonomous Leadership is less expensive than managing people via micromanagement which can be costly to your business since it’s time-consuming and can cause burnout. Autonomy in leadership doesn’t mean you don’t give feedback, provide direction, or coach employees; Autonomous Leaders practice self-management skills like delegation which helps their people succeed while also helping them improve essential EQ skills.

Autonomy in the workplace statistics

According to a study done by Gartner Group, when Autonomous Leadership is in place there are many benefits that include:

Increased productivity and reduced costs due to less stress from micromanagement.
Reduced rate of employee turnover which means you spend less time recruiting new employees.
Better customer service because your employees have the freedom to make decisions that best suit the customer without having to wait for approval from a manager.
Increased creativity and innovation because employees are not afraid to share their ideas.

Why is autonomy in leadership important?

There are many reasons why autonomous leadership is important but here are just a few:

When employees feel valued and respected, they are more likely to have a great work environment. Giving staff the freedom to make decisions encourages them to create a better workplace. Because there is less micromanagement, Autonomous Leadership may help people cope with stress. Because they’re not afraid of trying new things, autonomous leaders have superior problem-solving abilities. Autonomous Leadership can cultivate trust, respect and transparency in the workplace.

Can Autonomy in Leadership work for you?

Absolutely! The good news is that autonomous leadership can work for you if you think creatively. Autonomous Leaders are not just people who like to take charge or feel like they know what’s best for everyone else; Autonomous Leaders are leaders who practice self-management skills and techniques of delegation to

Autonomous leadership is not just an individualistic approach to management, but more of a self-management strategy. Autonomous leadership is about giving people freedom and independence which can be rewarding for both leaders and followers alike.

How to develop your autonomous leadership skills?

Autonomy in leadership is about giving people freedom and independence which can be rewarding for both leaders and followers alike. Autonomous Leaders are not just people who like to take charge or feel like they know what’s best for everyone else; Autonomous Leadership is more of a self-management strategy that helps your employees succeed while also helping them improve essential EQ skills.

Autonomy starts with you! Let’s delve into some essential EQ skills and traits for successful autonomous leaders

Essential EQ skills and traits of successful autonomous leaders

Self-awareness: Autonomous Leaders have high levels of self-awareness so they understand their strengths, weaknesses, values, interests, etc. They recognize their own emotions as well as those coming from other people around them.

Self-confidence: Autonomous Leaders also have a high level of self-confidence and don’t feel threatened by other people’s success.

Self-management: Autonomous Leaders are able to manage their time, tasks, stress levels, etc which means they know how to prioritize so that nothing falls through the cracks or gets forgotten about. Autonomous Leaders follow a schedule but aren’t slaves to it; they’re flexible when things change without feeling stressed out. Autonomous Leaders trust themselves enough to make difficult decisions where there is no clear right or wrong answer.

Responsible and accountable: They take responsibility for those decisions as well as their mistakes instead of saying “that wasn’t my fault” or shifting blame onto someone else. Autonomous leaders can deal with conflict in an effective way because they know how to communicate effectively, act with empathy, and are able to de-escalate tense situations.

Impulse control: Autonomous Leaders also have good impulse control which means they don’t make kneejerk reactions or say something in the heat of the moment that will come back to haunt them later.

5 personality traits that are not useful for autonomous leaders

Perfectionism: Autonomous Leaders know that there is no such thing as a perfect decision so they don’t waste time trying to make the “perfect” choice.

Over-sensitivity: Autonomous Leaders can take feedback well and use it to improve their skills instead of dwelling on things that may have been said in a negative way.

Passivity: Autonomous Leaders are proactive and aren’t afraid to take risks even if it means they might fail sometimes.

Controlling behavior: Autonomous Leaders trust their team members enough to delegate tasks without feeling the need to constantly check-in or control their work.

Attention seeking: Autonomous Leaders don’t need constant validation from others and are perfectly happy working on their own goals without needing anyone else’s approval.

10 daily habits of successful autonomous leaders

There are many different habits of successful autonomous leaders. Here’s a few of them!

Put your phone on silent and turn off notifications: Autonomous Leaders understand that they need to dedicate time each day where their phones are not a distraction.

Get enough sleep: Autonomous Leaders prioritize sleep so they can perform at their best during the workday.

Eat breakfast every morning: Autonomous Leaders make healthy eating choices because it gives them more energy throughout the day without crashing or getting jittery from caffeine.

Self-care: Take 20 minutes for yourself each day, even if you have to schedule it in your calendar with an alarm reminder! This is essential self-care which Autonomous leaders know will help improve long-term performance instead of sacrificing themselves for short gains later on down the road.

Stop multi-tasking: Autonomous Leaders prioritize one task at a time and focus on completing it before moving on to the next.

Take breaks: Autonomous Leaders understand that taking a break every 90-120 minutes actually improves productivity levels by giving their brains a chance to recharge so they can return with fresh energy instead of feeling burnt out or distracted.

Read for pleasure: Autonomous Leaders enjoy reading as part of self-care because it gives them downtime without being sucked into social media, shows, etc. Autonomous leaders also do not feel guilty about this leisure activity but rather view it as an important practice for themselves and those around them!

Plan your day in advance: Autonomous Leaders plan ahead on paper (or on any other digital platform) so there is no last-minute scrambling for what needs to get done.

If you’re looking to improve your Autonomy skills, we recommend these resources:

The Art of Autonomy: Achieving Self-Management and Leading Without Authority by J.D. Meier

The Power of Autonomy: How to Build a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Tony Schwartz and Lisa Dunn

Self-Management for Actors: Tools to Create Success on Your Own Terms by self-management expert Andréa Moore.

Final thoughts on autonomous leaders and autonomy in the workplace

In conclusion, Autonomy in Leadership is a great way to manage people and it has many benefits for both leaders and followers alike. Autonomous Leaders practice self-management skills which help them improve essential EQ skills. Autonomy means empowerment; when you give Autonomous Leaders trust their team members enough to delegate tasks without feeling the need to constantly check-in or control their work.