Given centuries of escalating innovations, we are not doing all that well when it comes to personal fulfillment. Moreover, things are not improving. Studies of the workplace find time and again that only a minority of people are satisfied with their working lives.
The percentage of disengaged workers has not changed for decades. This situation is a "freedom from" problem. There are factors keeping things the way they are, to no one's benefit, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.
The key question is, What will make people more fulfilled?
There is growing evidence that there are a small number of factors at the heart of what motivates people to become engaged in worthwhile endeavors.
What is motivating are three factors: a degree of self-directed autonomy, a sense of purpose, and mastery. A fourth factor is the collaboration with peers to do something of value; a strong identity with colleagues, which gives you the sense that you are making a difference together.
For "freedom to" people, money is a by-product of good work. It is not that money doesn't matter but rather that it is not the main driver. When the intrinsic factors are in play, people are more engaged and more productive, and more money is made.
The subject of "freedom to change" is to put intrinsic motivation factors into play for yourself and with others. The pursuit of fulfillment begins with you. It needs to be your own agenda. The book, "Freedom to Change: Four Strategies to Put Your Inner Drive into Overdrive," will guide you on your journey. To be successful, you will need to understand and engage in the dynamics of moving from "freedom from" to "freedom to."
If people happen to be formal leaders in an organization, all the better, because they can affect the lives of many. And any individual will gain from being in an organization that is designed to draw on all its members in a social change process relative to a goal for the greater good.
Source: Michael Fullan: Freedom to Change: Four Strategies to Put Your Inner Drive into Overdrive