Working Autonomy

I once had a boss who advocated ‘taking a sickie before you get sick’. Bear in mind that this was my boss, & yet somehow, this rule was rarely abused, either by myself or by an other of her employees. The whole team were committed and willing to give a little more when it was needed. 
I think that said a lot about the empowerment she shared with her team. I am a firm believer that if you treat people like children, they will behave like children. I have worked in enough environments where ruling over staff leads to rebellions. However small these little challenges are, cumulatively they can have a high cost financially. They are also costly in terms of their corrosive effect on the generosity and goodwill in a working environment. That’s a lose-lose in my book!
On the other hand, if you give grown ups education and choice, then they really will naturally take the right decisions. individuals will understand the consequences of their actions for themselves, their project and their organisation.
So perhaps you could treat yourself and your team with this elegance and grace. Trust takes time to build, but it will never be built at all without having taken the chance(s) on both you and on them. Professional autonomy inevitably leads to great things. 

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