Control leads to compliance: autonomy leads to engagement.  – Daniel Pink

I think too often people lose balance when considering control and autonomy; people lose balance when considering management and leadership.  There are those who tip the scales too far in one direction or the other.  Let’s be honest, every organization requires both control and autonomy.  Every school and classroom is balanced with time for compliance and time for engagement.

We want to instill in children a sense of autonomy; the ability to create their own learning experience.  We also need students to be compliant and to learn the specific foundational skills.  For each of us, there are times we must be disciplined, put our nose to the grindstone, and do the work.  Not everything is rainbows and unicorns; we must be able to achieve results in some areas that aren’t our passion.

It is imperative that we live balanced lives.  There are times we must either control or be controlled.  There are times we follow our passion and are actively engaged.  Let’s teach our children that a world of balance is the key to success.