Flexibility and trust in the workplace have huge payoffs for both employees and employers alike. Research around the performance of individuals given high levels of autonomy indicates a direct positive correlation to the success of an individual and the teams they are in or lead. Giving autonomy and letting go is however a difficult thing to do for many managers.
This article is a great read about a keynote given at a recent CompTIA event by General Stan McChrystal. It touches on his story about his time in the US military and what the impact of giving his teams the power to make autonomous decisions had on the overall performance of his troops. There is a great lesson in this article for managers and team members alike.
