A brilliant Steve Jobs leadership lesson as effective today as it was in 1985.
In a well-documented 1985 interview, Steve Jobs shared his thoughts on hiring the right people. You know, those highly capable, super creative, and smart individuals who will perform well and drive results. The kind of person every leader wants on their team.
But there’s a keen leadership lesson taught by Jobs that, to this day, many managers fail to grasp. Once these smart people are hired, there’s a simple yet rare management strategy that empowers them to become a high performer.
Jobs gives away his secret in that video interview from 1985. He said:
The greatest people are self-managing; they don’t need to be managed.
The link between self-management and high performance
It’s a bold statement, indeed. But one worth the risk to attract, develop, and keep the people who will drive your company forward.
Jobs believed in surrounding himself with self-motivated individuals who could take initiative, solve problems independently, and drive results without requiring constant oversight.
Let’s bring this closer to home, if you’re a founder or leader of a small business looking to grow. We all dream of hiring and working with people who just get it—the ones who take ownership, solve problems, and make things happen without needing constant hand-holding. I know I do.
You may be sceptical that self-managing workers will work well in your environment. I get it. But creating a team like this is possible, and it starts with how we think about leadership and management.
Hopefully, the rest of this article will shift something in you. I’m about to drop the “why” behind supporting a culture of self-managing employees and how it will benefit your business.
Here are three upsides to doing it effectively. I have more insights and strategies here, if you want to dig further.
1. Self-managing work boosts innovation and agility
When employees have the freedom to make decisions and take ownership, they’re more likely to experiment, solve problems creatively, and move quickly. Self-managing employees don’t wait for a manager’s green light—they trust their instincts and act, which can be a game-changer in fast-moving industries. Research shows that autonomy not only improves problem-solving but also leads to higher levels of innovation. By stepping back, leaders give their self-managing high performers the space to think big and act boldly, just like Steve Jobs did when he famously said:
It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.
2. Self-managing employees free up managers to focus on more important work
Obviously, this doesn’t apply to micromanagers who think the role of the manager is to spend their days looking over people’s shoulders, barking orders, and controlling all the decisions. Here’s the thing: Micromanaging takes time and energy, leaving managers bogged down in daily details instead of focusing on the bigger picture. Self-managing employees, on the other hand, lighten the load by handling the “how” so leaders can concentrate on the “why” and “what’s next.” This shift doesn’t just benefit the manager—it also empowers self-managing employees to take responsibility for their work, fostering confidence and competence across the team.
3. Self-managing employees are more engaged and less likely to quit
I sat with a client—an executive—to go over his company’s latest engagement scores. They were dismal, and after inspecting the survey results, I saw one of the key drivers for low engagement: “Managers don’t trust their employees to do the work.” As I explained to my client, autonomy is one of the top drivers of employee engagement. When people feel trusted to manage their own work, they’re more motivated and invested in the outcome. I may sound like an echo chamber here, but I’ll drive home the point again: A sense of ownership also builds loyalty—employees are far less likely to leave an environment where they’re empowered and valued to make decisions without being judged or scrutinized. Companies that embrace a self-managing culture of bright and capable people often see lower turnover, stronger commitment, and better performance overall.
A growing group of Inc.com readers receive texts from me with a leadership or motivational micro-challenge or strategy to implement. Often, they text me back and we wind up in a conversation. Many are entrepreneurs or business leaders, and quite a few are successful CEOs who know how to inspire people to take action. (Want to learn more? Here’s some information about the texts and an invitation to a 14-day free trial.)
Feature Image Credit: Getty Images
BY MARCEL SCHWANTES
INC. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, EXECUTIVE COACH, SPEAKER, AND AUTHOR @MARCELSCHWANTES
