“People don’t need to be managed, they need to be unleashed.”
Richard Florida

Imagine what could happen if you, your peers, your supervisors were unleashed?

Experience the whoosh of positive energy that will move through your school, your office, your classroom, your community when people are relieved of the external constraints that hold them hostage from exploring and acting on the best that resides within them.

Unleashing does not indicate wild abandonment. It DOES indicate operating within a level of trust and the firm belief that people are whole, capable, and able to make responsible decisions without constant monitoring and directing– sometimes known as micromanagement.

Coach leaders realize that in order to get the very best from the people they lead, “unleashing” appropriately is necessary. This unleashing frequently begins with giving one’s self permission to run free, unfettered from the status quo– the way we’ve always done things.

Today’s times call for new thinking and new actions. These can only be accomplished by moving beyond the known – or sometimes being off the leash.

Some possibilities for unleashing:

1. When giving an expectation for a specific result, allow the process for achieving the result to be created or chosen rather than dictated.

2. Find ways to allow people–students as well as adults–choices whenever possible.

3. Give yourself permission to push beyond your own perceived limits.

How will you plan for and ensure free running time for you and those you lead as you close out this school year and prepare for the next?

By Frances Shuster, PCC
Coaching for Results Global