The Five Freedoms Project

Reflect (or, take the time to know “who’s there”)

Before we can ever hope to become the most effective teacher, parent, or school leader, we must be willing to do the internal, reflective work necessary to answer the question, “Who’s there?”

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Connect (or, make the connections that let you “see the whole board”)

Because it helps people see how their personal actions contribute to the world around them, systems thinking — or "seeing the whole board" — is crucial to any healthy, evolving school community.

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Create (or, recognize that “people only support what they create”)

Instead of getting our colleagues or our students to “buy into” something, we should be creating opportunities for people to discover what matters to them, and then follow the meaning. Evoke contribution through freedom, not conformity.

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Equip (or, equip people with what they need to see their new ideas through)

To bring a shared vision into being, school leaders must ensure that all people have the understanding, motivation and skills they need to work with the forces of change.

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Let Come (or, let the group’s shared vision naturally come into being)

The challenge of 21st century leadership involves knowing which old habits and ideas we must “let go” of so that new habits and ideas can emerge. That process will always involve some uncertainty and discomfort. Indeed, allowing yourself to be uncertain of what will emerge is the threshold we must pass through for new ways of being to take root.

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