A Stimulant More Powerful Than Coffee - Autonomy

We each have those spikes in the day when we feel our tiredness catching up with us as fight to stay awake, constantly glancing at the clock to see that it's moving slower than usual. Or days that seem to go by slower than months. Research shows that finding what you do interesting and believing it has inherent value is likely the single best way to stay motivated despite difficulty, setbacks and unexpected roadblocks. Additionally, interest in your work doesn't just keep you going despite fatigue, it actually replenishes your energy.

In a study done at California State University, participants were asked to work on a lengthy, draining task and then were given either a difficult-but-interesting task or a relatively-easy-but-dull task. Across the board, it was found that people who worked on the interesting task put in more effort and performed much better (despite being tired) than those who worked on the boring task - even thought it was actually harder than the boring task.

In another study, researchers found that working on something interesting and stimulating also resulted in better performance on subsequent task as well, having replenished energy flow into these tasks.

So, with the road map as full as it is and a looming release date ahead, how do you give your team a sense of autonomy? First and foremost, my team knows that they dictate their personal processes. The amount of time they spend on planing before tackling a project is up to them, as well as the order in which they tackle projects. They know that by if we keep lines of communication up and open between us, they are free to take things on as they see fit. And I, on the plus side, usually get my features ahead of schedule.

Second, and not less important, is sharing goals. It is extremely important that the team knows how what they are working on fits into the bigger picture and how it supports and enhances our clients' experience. I try to share with them as much client feedback as possible, along with updates from sales regarding new and recently released features. I have one team member who was surprised to hear how much we were charging for a new feature he had worked on. It was a delight to see how his eyes lit up when I told him we already had a handful of clients who've signed with us even before our release date because of that feature.

Try to take time to reflect on how you can make your team feel like they do have autonomy regarding their time and always keep them up to date with business achievements. It makes work more interesting and you'll find that your team has a lot more energy.