New Beginnings

At a recent Parent Teacher meeting, some parents insisted that the school implement a uniform code for clothes, shoes and hairstyles. The teacher explained their philosophy, “Get children to pick out 5 outfits for school and then every morning, let THEM make the choice of which one to wear. Set boundaries but then also let them learn how to explore their freedom within it” 

Coincidentally around the same time a colleague was reading “Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz, in which he explores why “less” may actually be “more”! When we are given too many choices, it may seem like we have a lot of freedom. However, we end up being paralysed by the number of options and eventually end up unsatisfied.

I have come to realize, especially among younger managers (millennials), that one of the things they value most is a balance between extreme freedom and extreme ambiguity. It’s just as necessary to define boundaries and structure as it is to explore freedom.

As the earth now pivots into the season of new beginnings, I hope we are able to create an environment that gives our people more structured freedom and less of ambiguity.

Hope you and your family cherish the Easter celebrations over the weekend.

Happy New Beginnings 🙂