Freedom and choice are foundational to effective leadership. Yet, many traditional leadership models rely on control—often through manipulation or domination.
Picture this: A big dog trots home, full of energy after chasing rabbits. He’s hungry and ready to eat. But as he nears his food bowl on the porch, he stops. A small, striped animal with a bushy tail—a skunk—is already helping itself to his meal. The dog inches forward, careful not to startle the intruder. The food is right there—he can smell it and see crumbs scattering.
The dog is easily ten times the size of the skunk. He could chase it off without much effort. But he doesn’t. He chooses wisdom and patience over force. Sure, he could win a fight—but is it worth dealing with the lingering stench that would follow?
Valuing People Through Freedom and Choice
Leadership guided by freedom and choice is much like this story. Of course, this isn’t to say that leaders are dogs or followers are skunks! The point is that real leadership recognizes the value of freedom—even when it leads to poor decisions or challenging behavior.
When someone isn’t acting how we’d like, it’s tempting to push them into compliance through pressure or control. But that route, while seemingly effective in the moment, often leads to long-term consequences—emotional “scars” that don’t fade easily.
Freedom is one of leadership’s most powerful principles, but it’s also one of the most easily misapplied. That’s why it’s important to understand it deeply.
When embraced wisely, freedom aligns with valuing others and genuinely seeking their growth. When misused, it becomes a tool of neglect or self-interest. But when done right, freedom and choice can change how we feel about challenges—from dread to anticipation. That’s the power of leading with freedom and choice.
What Is Freedom, Really?
Before diving in too fast, let’s pause and ask: how would you define freedom?
Here are a couple of helpful definitions from Webster’s Dictionary:
- Freedom: The absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; independence; the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken.
- Free: Not under the control or domination of another; not influenced by anything outside its own nature or being; capable of making choices independently.
To make it easier to grasp and apply in leadership, the GR8 Leaders team uses this simple working definition:
Freedom – Acting without force or manipulation; operating without controlling others or being controlled.
Why Freedom and Choice Matter in Leadership
When you bring freedom and choice into leadership, you’re embracing a powerful truth: every person has the right—and responsibility—to make their own decisions. As a leader, that means you're not defined or controlled by the actions or choices of those you lead. Yet, many people still believe leadership is more effective when it's rooted in control, not freedom and responsibility.
Ask yourself: does your life truly reflect freedom and choice—for yourself and for others? Chances are, not as much as you'd like to think. Most of us naturally fall into the easier path of trying to control outcomes and people, especially when things get tough. It’s human nature to default to “me-first” thinking and attempt to shape others through pressure.
But freedom is about recognizing the range of choices available to you—and to others—without resorting to control or being controlled.
As simple as it sounds, applying freedom in leadership is a radically different approach. Instead of facing challenges with calm confidence, many leaders react like a piñata being smacked around—just responding to the latest blow. And in that reactive mode, it’s easy to forget that others have their own freedom, too.
When you ignore or overlook someone else's right to choose, it's tempting to manipulate or pressure them into doing what you want. That might feel natural—but it’s not effective leadership. True leadership honors the freedom of others while still taking responsibility for your own choices.
Time to Choose a New Way to Lead
Make the decision to lead in a new way—one that invites rather than controls. Embrace the invitational model of leadership, where your role is to develop others and guide them in using their freedom in a responsible, productive way.
That doesn’t mean anything goes. Freedom still comes with accountability. When people misuse their freedom, appropriate consequences must follow—and that’s where the Freedom V comes in.
We all must discover how to lead with confidence, clarity, and a deep respect for personal responsibility.