Now, the basis for this study is something called the JDC (Job Demand-Control Model).

The idea is: If I can look at a job and plot it on two different dimensions the two different dimensions would be

    1. How demanding is it?
      • Are there time limits?
      • Does it require focus, etc.
      • Is it cognitively taxing?

Basically, you’re all in demanding jobs.

  1. How much control do I have?
    • Over the work that I do.
    • How I do it
    • Where and when that I do it

Now it turns out, that for low demand jobs, giving people more control does not have a positive impact on their life. But in high demand jobs, a long-term study showed that people with higher control had a 43% less chance of dying during the period of this study than people in high demand/low control jobs.

So, as leaders, when you start giving your people control over how and where and when they work, not only are you getting a better outcome for yourself, and are they feeling good, but you’re actually saving their lives.

I’m David Marquet and that’s your leadership nudge.