Freedom to Change: Four Strategies to Put Your Inner Drive into Overdrive

Have you ever felt like your progress was being blocked, not just by your own circumstances, but by the presence and actions of others? Freedom to Change releases you from the trap of constantly telling yourself that you'd be more successful at teaching, leading, or contributing to an organization if only others didn't stand in your way. In his engaging, irreverent style, bestselling author Michael Fullan explores the two kinds of freedom in our daily lives: freedom from obstacles versus freedom to take initiative and act. Gaining freedom from barriers has no value in itself until it is partnered with an equally determined sense of what you truly want. What change would you like to bring about for yourself or those around you?

Given that human nature and productivity are fundamentally social, Fullan prescribes four dynamically interrelated actions we can take:

1. Consciously seeking a balance between our own autonomy and cooperation with others
2. Improving the feedback exchange—giving more valuable responses, as well as eliciting, hearing, and accepting feedback more effectively
3. Building accountability to others into the fabric of our working lives
4. Finding ways to influence others with the changes we've made and want to spread

Illustrated and enriched with examples from education, business, and nonprofit sectors, Freedom to Change offers recommendations for both individuals and organizations seeking to enhance connectedness and independence.

About the Author vii

About the Ontario Principals’ Council ix

Acknowledgments xi

Preface xiii

1 Freedom From or Freedom To 1

2 Simplexity as a Guide for Change 23

3 Autonomy and Cooperation 43

4 Feedback 65

5 Accountability 99

6 Diffusion 129

7 Your Own Best Freedom 153

References 165

Index 171

MICHAEL FULLAN, Order of Canada, is professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Fullan has won numerous awards for his more than 30 books, and is the author of the bestsellers Leading in a Culture of Change, The Six Secrets of Change, and The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact. To learn more, visit his website at www.michaelfullan.ca.

Tired of feeling frustrated and blocked, not just by your own circumstances, but by the actions of others? Freedom to Change releases you from the trap of constantly telling yourself that you’d be more successful if only others didn’t stand in your way. Written by bestselling author Michael Fullan, this engaging and often irreverent book explores the two kinds of freedom in our daily lives: freedom from obstacles versus freedom to take initiative and act. As Fullan explains, freedom from seemingly immovable barriers has no value in itself until it is partnered with an equally determined sense of what it is you truly want.

What change would you like to bring about for yourself or those around you?

To guide you on your journey to change, Fullan prescribes four dynamically interrelated actions: Seek the right balance between autonomy and cooperation with others; Improve the feedback exchange—give more valuable responses, as well as eliciting, hearing, and accepting feedback more effectively; Build accountability to others into the fabric of our working lives; and Find ways to influence others with the changes we’ve made and want to spread. These four actions are the guideposts for maximizing ‘freedom to change,’ and by navigating your way through them you’ll discover your own best freedom and fast-track your future.

Filled with illustrative examples from the education, business, and nonprofit sectors, Freedom to Change offers recommendations for both individuals and organizations seeking to enhance connectedness and independence.