Steve Jobs: One habit separates high performers from those who fall short.

Steve Jobs famously discussed how to hire the proper people in a 1985 interview—those who are intelligent, skilled, and creative and who will perform well and produce results. Every leader aspires to have individuals like this on their team. However many managers still fail to see one of Jobs’ most important leadership lessons. After hiring these gifted people, there is a straightforward yet uncommon management strategy that can enable them to reach their full potential.

Jobs reveals this management secret in a 1985 interview. He said:

The greatest people are self-managing; they don’t need to be managed.

The link between self-management and high performance.

Although this may sound audacious, it’s a concept worth adopting to draw in, nurture, and keep the people who will propel your business forward. Jobs felt that he ought to encompass himself with self-driven people who might take charge, figure out issues autonomously, and deliver results without nonstop oversight.

Let’s bring this concept to a smaller scale. If you’re a founder or leader of a small business aiming to grow, you likely dream of working with people who get it—those who take ownership, solve problems and make things happen without requiring constant guidance. I know I do.

You might feel sceptical about whether self-managing employees will thrive in your environment, and that’s understandable. But creating such a team is possible, and it begins with shifting our mindset around leadership and management.

I hope the following insights will help you understand the “why” behind fostering a culture of self-managing employees and how it can benefit your business.

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Here are three key advantages of supporting self-managing employees:

1. Self-managing work boosts innovation and agility.

When workers are engaged to make choices and take proprietorship, they’re more likely to test, illuminate issues imaginatively, and act quickly. Self-managing representatives don’t hold up for endorsement from managers—they believe they’re instinctual and move forward, which is a game-changer in fast-paced businesses. Studies show that autonomy not only enhances 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 Jobs 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. Employees who govern themselves free up bosses to work on other crucial tasks.

This isn’t for micromanagers, who accept the manager’s part is to direct each detail, manage choices, and control the preparation. Micromanagement takes up time and vitality, hindering managers in the particulars instead of permitting them to focus on the greater picture.

Self-managing workers handle the “how” so managers can concentrate on the “why” and plan for the future. This shift not only lightens the manager’s load but also empowers employees, fostering a sense of responsibility, confidence, and competence.

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2. Employees who manage themselves are more engaged and have a lower turnover rate.

I once sat down with an executive to survey his company’s worker engagement scores. They were low, and after digging into the overview comes about, I distinguished a key figure: “Managers don’t believe their employees to do the work.” I clarified to him that independence is the best driver of worker engagement. When employees feel trusted to oversee their work, they end up more spurred and contribute to the outcomes.

Let’s emphasize this once more: A sense of possession leads to dependability. Workers are distant less likely to take off from a company where they feel enabled and esteemed to make choices without being micromanaged. Companies that develop a self-managing culture with able, shining representatives frequently see lower turnover, more grounded commitment, and made strides in execution.

A growing number of readers from Inc.com receive text messages from me with leadership challenges or motivational strategies to implement. Many of these readers are entrepreneurs or business leaders, including successful CEOs who know how to inspire people to take action.