You aim to hire the best people with the hope that they’ll be effective and impactful in their positions. That said, even the best employees can’t perform when they aren't given the opportunity to do so. It’s the role of managers to empower talent to do their best work, and many times, this simply means getting out of their way. Autonomy is critically important if you want your employees to do their best work. This means giving them the discretion to control when, where, and how they perform their job duties. This might be uncomfortable for some managers at first, but by relinquishing control, most managers find that employees hold themselves accountable and will perform better in the long run. Another important factor in improving your employees’ effectiveness is to ensure their work and position are good fits with their talents, skill sets, and interests. “No amount of conversations, motivational speeches, or even disciplinary action is as effective as putting square pegs in square holes. There’s product-market fit, but there’s also talent-task fit,” said Samuel Thimothy of OneIMS. “People naturally work better and harder at jobs that fit their talents, skills, personality, and even beliefs.”