Autonomy is related to a whole host of desirable traits – inner drive, long-term motivation, independence, confidence, increased executive function. All things we want in our children and on our team. With both, it’s largely dependent on the leader’s ability to step back. If you want a team with more of those traits, stop constantly instructing and guiding. The constant instruction merely gives them more opportunities to practice dependency and neediness, and develops feelings of powerlessness and learned helplessness. Not good.
If you want them to feel far more capable and actually become more autonomous, give them opportunities to practice it. Give them a project and let them take a stab at it. Give minimal instruction. When they want all the directions (because you’ve provided them before!), ask them to take a hack and then come back with questions.
If you want to accelerate their growth, do less, expect more. And when they fail, step in alongside them and help them learn. Ask them questions about where they got stuck and why. Help them think through the answers. Model the way.
BUILT TO LEAD 