The Happiness Index

CHAPTER 6Freedom

As an entrepreneur, I find freedom incredibly important, as it is for all human beings. The more you understand your employees and how they rank these areas in importance, the easier it is to work with them and motivate them.

One person on my team says that freedom is their number‐one driver and another team member says clarity is the most important driver for them.

For the person who says freedom is their number‐one driver, a daily call with them might feel like micromanagement. This person prefers a monthly check‐in meeting.

For the person on my team who says that clarity is number one, checking in with them only once a month would feel like I don't care. A short check‐in a few times a week helps them feel on track and cared for.

If even identical twins have different personalities (as studies show), it makes sense that we need to adapt our leadership approach on an employee‐by‐employee basis. Some people worry that this approach will take more time, and it does initially. But the time you save having happy and engaged employees easily offsets this small investment of time.

Defining Freedom at Work

Freedom at work is the ability, as far as possible, to choose your own path.

The neuroscience theme of freedom generally scores well (7.9), indicating that employees in the study generally felt that they had the freedom they needed to do their jobs.

However, ...