Those of us in the U.S will be celebrating Independence Day tomorrow.  Like our founders, we all want some level of independence in our work.  But wanting independence and achieving it are two different things.  Independence doesn’t come cheap.  You can’t just ask for it.  It requires work, vision, and even sacrifice.  

Fortunately, in our time, leaders who want independence don’t have to wage a war.  They do, however, have to fight for and earn it, just as our founders did.  Here are some lessons from our country’s battle for independence.

Know what you want – The founders had a clear goal in mind.  Granted it was a rather large goal, but they knew what they were after.  Before asking for more independence or autonomy, be clear on what you want.  You can’t run everything yourself nor do you have the talent, passion, or resources to do so. Figure out where you want more autonomy and build your case for why you should have it.

Be willing to sacrifice – Those who signed the Declaration of Independence and fought in the Revolution risked death.  Yet, they believed in their cause and the value of their independence.  You can’t ask to be left alone without assuming some of the risk in being on your own.  If someone hands over a part of the business to you, you may have to work a little harder and give up a little more in order to succeed.  If you are looking for greater responsibility but don’t want to upset your status quo, you might not be the right person for the job.

Own the outcome – Don’t just take ownership of the decision, take ownership of the result.  You can’t take credit for success if you also don’t assume responsibility for failure.  Too often, our leaders, especially politicians will provide a litany of excuses for why they failed, but will take full credit when they succeed.  If poor results are due to forces outside of your control then the good results are too rendering you irrelevant. If you want independence, show that you are willing to take accountability for its successes and failures.

Over promise and overwhelm – The founders didn’t go after a few concessions from England, they went big.  They made up for being outnumbered, out-funded, and out-trained with passion, commitment, and desire (and a little help from their other European“friends”).  They won a war that, at least on paper, they probably should have lost.  Contrary to conventional wisdom, leaders who gain autonomy and independence aren’t the ones who set a low bar and jump over it.  They are the ones who make bold promises and then surpass them.

Independence and autonomy aren’t part of your company’s benefits program.  They must be earned and deserved.  Show that you are ready, willing, and able to act on your own and you will be allowed to do so.

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Brad Kolar is an Executive Consultant, speaker, and author.  He can be reached at brad.kolar@kolarassociates.com.