--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Giving employees a sense of control…" description: "\"“Giving employees a sense of control improved how much self-discipline they brought to their jobs.”\" — Charles Duhigg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png" --- # Giving employees a sense of control improved how much… ![“Giving employees a sense of control improved how much self-discipline they brought to their jobs.” quote by Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png) > ““Giving employees a sense of control improved how much self-discipline they brought to their jobs.”” [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Giving employees autonomy boosts their self‑discipline and performance. **In simple terms:** Control increases self‑discipline at work. Key Takeaway Grant autonomy to improve discipline. Themes autonomy self‑discipline leadership motivation Mood analytical practical Type leadership business When to use this quote - team management - remote work - skill development - performance reviews Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How does control affect your motivation? - What balance of guidance and freedom works best? A Different Perspective Not all employees respond positively to increased control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control Improved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-improved-830297/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Discipline Brought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline-brought-830296/) [Employees Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employees-sense-830295/) [Giving Employees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-employees-830298/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Self discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-discipline/) ## Related quotes > [Simply giving employees a sense of agency- a feeling that they are in control, that they have genuine decision-making authority - can radically increase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/simply-giving-employees-a-sense-of-agency-a-feeling-that-they-are-in/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [I wouldn't ask any of my employees to do anything I wouldn't do. And I work as hard, if not harder than the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/i-wouldn-t-ask-any-of-my-employees-to-do-anything-i-wouldn-t-do-and-i/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [Self-discipline has a bigger effect on academic performance than does intellectual talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/self-discipline-has-a-bigger-effect-on-academic-performance-than-does/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [When you are dealing with a serious compulsion or addictive pattern, then by definition self-will, self-discipline, and any other machinations of the conscious mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-serious-compulsion-or-addictive-pattern/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [My father did lots of things. He had an orange-juice factory. He did real estate. He did commercial selling. He was always up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-torode/my-father-did-lots-of-things-he-had-an-orange-juice-factory-he-did/) [John Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-torode/) > [Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them every day, will do more to guarantee your success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/your-ability-to-discipline-yourself-to-set-clear-goals-and-then-to/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [... semantics ... is a sober and modest discipline which has no pretensions of being a universal patent-medicine for all the ills and diseases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-tarski/semantics-is-a-sober-and-modest-discipline-which-has-no-pretensions/) [Alfred Tarski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-tarski/) > [Nothing of importance is ever achieved without discipline. 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It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) ## More by Charles Duhigg > [“If you want to stop smoking, ask yourself, do you do it because you love nicotine, or because it provides a burst of stimulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-want-to-stop-smoking-ask-yourself-do-you-do-it-because-you/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“What matters are five key norms,” he told the audience. Teams need to believe that their work is important. Teams need to feel their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/what-matters-are-five-key-norms-he-told-the-audience-teams-need-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [America has always had an apocalyptic strain. Yet it also seems to believe that if, or when, The End comes, it will still come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-has-always-had-an-apocalyptic-strain-yet-it-also-seems-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Bromates are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, but officials are required to test for them only when water leaves a treatment plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/bromates-are-regulated-by-the-safe-drinking-water-act-but-officials/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-coal/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. Left”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/habits-scientists-say-emerge-because-the-brain-is-constantly-looking/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Between calculated risk and reckless decision-making lies the dividing line between profit and loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/between-calculated-risk-and-reckless-decision-making-lies-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Older Americans are perfect telemarketing customers, analysts say, because they are often at home, rely on delivery services, and are lonely for the companionship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/older-americans-are-perfect-telemarketing-customers-analysts-say/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systematically organized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/all-our-life-so-far-as-it-has-definite-form-is-but-a-mass-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Someday soon, say predictive analytics experts, it will be possible for companies to know our tastes and predict our habits better than we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/someday-soon-say-predictive-analytics-experts-it-will-be-possible-for/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“I love Paul O'Neill, but you could not pay me enough to work for him again" one official told me. "the man has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/i-love-paul-o-neill-but-you-could-not-pay-me-enough-to-work-for-him/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“THE FRAMEWORK: • Identify the routine • Experiment with rewards • Isolate the cue • Have a plan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/the-framework-identify-the-routine-experiment-with-rewards-isolate/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Barium, which is commonly found in power plant waste and scrubber wastewater, has been linked to heart problems and diseases in other organs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/barium-which-is-commonly-found-in-power-plant-waste-and-scrubber/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [A movement starts because of the social habits of friendship and the strong ties between close acquaintances. It grows because of the habits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/a-movement-starts-because-of-the-social-habits-of-friendship-and-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“In some sense, he said, a community was a giant collection of habits occurring among thousands of people that, depending on how they’re influenced,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/in-some-sense-he-said-a-community-was-a-giant-collection-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) [Explore all 293 Charles Duhigg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## More Discipline quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) [W.J. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/) > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) [Burne Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burne-hogarth/) > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. 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Its only people who jump off the roller coaster who get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/stay-in-your-seat-come-times-of-trouble-its-only-people-who-jump-off/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) [Browse all 5,597 Discipline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Giving employees a sense of control improved how much self-discipline they brought to their jobs.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Duhigg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-improved-how-much-self-discipline/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discipline" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-improved-how-much-self-discipline/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/charles-duhigg-1088_discipline_giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-impr_1668211.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Giving employees a sense of control improved how much self-discipline they brought to their jobs.” — Charles Duhigg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Duhigg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Giving employees a sense of control...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-improved-how-much-self-discipline/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/giving-employees-a-sense-of-control-improved-how-much-self-discipline/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```