Why We Need Freedom In The Workplace

Everyone produces differently. Some people thrive in a more structured environment, while others tend to do better in a non-structured environment. Leaders that know what kind of flow their team needs, will come to get the most out of them. When individuals feel trusted to work in their most productive environment they will produce more and at a faster rate. The old school way of doing things operates from a one-size-fits all work environment where individuals are expected to conform to the rules and regulations brought on by meaningless generalities. Rules are in place for a reason no doubt, but organizations must be careful of not becoming sterile and lifeless. Sterile environments produce sterile results. Freedom in the work place is not about having less authority over people, it is about the art of getting more from people. When team members have freedom to use their gifts and unique abilities they will be more productive. Theodore Roosevelt said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

Just as people need freedom to work, there must also be a freedom to fail. If your team is timid to step out and take risks out of a fear of failure, they will never reach into greater areas of productivity. In order to advance onward there has to be a freedom to stretch and reach further. If there is no freedom to be creative, think out of the box, and change, there will be no advancement into the future. You can only manage what you have for a certain amount of time without moving forward. Eventually things will start to derail. You do not win games by only playing defense. You win games by playing offense. Offense moves forward down the field advancing step by step. French Nobel Prize winner Albert Camus said, “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”

When leaders allow their team the freedom to step out and think big they will expand the possibilities of the future. Leaders have the responsibility to create an environment that fosters freedom for others to be their best. Steve Jobs said, “Here’s to the crazy ones — the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”