When Employees Choose Their How

Cathie Leimbach • February 1, 2022

When employees have the freedom to decide how to do their work satisfaction, retention, and productivity increase. Human beings like to make a difference in the world around them. They want to matter. They want the freedom and satisfaction of having some control over their life and what they do at work. When they feel valued and trusted by being given some freedom to decide how to do their work, they become more productive and loyal.


Organizations want to hire the best employees. They are seeking people who can help the company achieve its goals without handholding, individuals who can solve everyday problems and pivot their focus to meet tight timelines or handle emergencies. Yet, many supervisors voice their frustration when staff stray from the way they were taught to do the job.


The owner of an employment firm whose clients are small family-run businesses explained the dilemma well. His clients want employees who will follow his hour-by-hour instructions on the days he is working, yet, when the owner is on vacation he expects his staff to achieve the same quality and quantity of work and make the same decisions as he would have. We can’t have both worlds.


However, before employees can effectively decide how to do their work, leadership has to prepare them for success. This includes:

  • Having and communicating clear company goals and setting the measurable results you expect from each employee
  • Defining and communicating company values to guide the employees in their workplace behaviors and decisions
  • Assigning employees a right fit position that allows them to use their strengths and interests at work at least part of every day or week
  • Equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to do the job well
  • Showing them one way that achieves the desired output and coaching them to follow that process to get the desired results


Now, they know why the company exists and what makes it successful. And you and they have evidence that they can achieve the desired results. 


At this point, it is time to give your employees freedom in how to do their job. Many will figure out a tweak to the process that allows them to do their work more quickly. Others will adjust the order of their tasks to match their personal energy levels. Some will come up with a great new idea that reduces the cost of production or provides added value to the customer. They may even solve a workplace problem that has been frustrating their colleagues for years.


And, they will enjoy their work, have some control over their day, like making a difference, and become a long-time value-adding employee. All because you prepared them and trusted them to decide how to do their work.   

Speaking Up Is Not Defiance. It's Duty.

By Cathie Leimbach • June 23, 2026
Most leaders say they want employees to speak up. They want people who spot risks, question assumptions, and help the organization make better decisions. Yet many employees hesitate to do exactly that. Why? Because leaders often respond to speaking up as if the speaker is complaining, criticizing or resisting. When people fear being viewed as difficult, they stop sharing what they see. The organization loses valuable information, ideas, and perspectives. A recent McKinsey article found that teams with high psychological safety are two to three times more likely to generate breakthrough ideas. When people feel safe speaking up, better thinking follows. The best leaders understand a simple truth: Speaking up is not defiance. It's duty. When employees question assumptions, raise concerns, or offer a different perspective, they are helping the team avoid blind spots and make stronger decisions. That's why effective leaders don't merely tolerate speaking up—they invite it. They ask: What are we not seeing? What assumptions are we making? Who might see this differently? What information are we missing? Just as importantly, they respond with curiosity instead of defensiveness. They thank people for expressing their perspective. They explain how input influenced decisions. They make speaking up safe. Because organizations don't improve when everyone agrees. They improve when people feel responsible for helping the team see what others may have missed. In healthy organizations, speaking up isn't rebellion. It's responsibility. It's duty. Leadership Reflection Think about your last leadership team meeting. Did people simply agree? Or did someone help the team see something it otherwise would have missed? Download 5 Questions That Surface Better Thinking and make speaking up a productive part of how your team thinks, decides, and performs.

Put Your Brain in Gear When Using AI

By Cathie Leimbach • June 16, 2026
Artificial Intelligence is becoming a powerful workplace tool. It can summarize information, analyze data, draft content, and generate ideas in seconds. But there is a growing risk leaders need to recognize: AI can sound convincing even when it is wrong. In an article by Erica Dhawan, she describes a legal case where attorneys used ChatGPT to help prepare a court filing. The brief looked professional, the reasoning seemed logical, and the citations appeared legitimate. There was only one problem: several of the cited cases did not exist. The AI had fabricated them. The danger wasn't carelessness. It was trust. Because the information was presented clearly, confidently, and professionally, nobody stopped to question it. Psychologists call this the "fluency heuristic"—our tendency to assume information is accurate when it is easy to process and sounds credible. As leaders, we cannot allow polished answers to replace critical thinking. When you find yourself thinking, "This is too good to be true," put your brain in gear. Dig deeper. Investigate. Verify the facts. Ask what assumptions were made, what information might be missing, and what evidence supports the conclusion. AI can be an incredible assistant. It should never become a substitute for judgment. The smooth answer is not always the wrong one—but it is often the one that deserves the most scrutiny. Before You Act, Verify. The biggest risk with AI isn't bad information. It's believable information that's wrong. That's why we created the AI Verification Checklist for Leaders —a simple 5-minute tool designed to help leaders challenge assumptions, identify missing information, verify conclusions, and make better decisions before acting on AI-generated recommendations. Download the free AI Verification Checklist for Leaders and start asking better questions before making important decisions.