Enrollment over coercion
People Are the Solution, Not the Problem
We cannot build a meaningful future through coercion—it has to be done through enrollment.
Enrollment is the process of inspiring people to commit to meaningful work by fostering belief, trust, and ownership rather than relying on coercion or compliance.
Seth Godin, in The Song of Significance, introduced me to this idea, and it changed the way I approach leadership. The significant and brilliant work we seek to put into the world doesn’t come from compliance or fear. It emerges from people showing up—fully engaged—because they care. Because they're being taken care of and because they believe in the work’s impact.
Leadership Vs. Management
This is the fundamental difference between leadership and management:
Management relies on surveillance, coercion, and fear to drive performance. Yes, it can work in the short term, but it slowly erodes the sense of value an individual has in their work. Over time, they stop putting their heart into it. They do just enough to get by, leading to uninspired, mediocre output.
Leadership, on the other hand, creates an environment where team members are inspired by the impact their work can have. People aren’t just following rules—they’re co-creating a shared future that they believe in. Working together to create alignment, systems and processes because they see how those things make the work better for themselves, their team, and the mission as a whole.
The Hidden Cost of Coercion
When coercion is the primary tool of management, it doesn’t just affect the quality of work—it destroys trust.
Individuals who feel controlled operate from fear and scarcity. They become more focused on how their work is perceived rather than the work itself. Instead of trusting teammates, they hoard tasks & ideas to protect their own standing. Instead of collaborating, they retreat inward. The team becomes fragmented, and innovation stalls. When commitment begins to falter, it’s rarely because someone is lazy. It’s usually a symptom of something deeper: unclear priorities, misalignment in values, or uncommunicated expectations.
Leadership Creates Enrollment
True leadership isn’t about forcing compliance—it’s about enrolling people into a mission bigger than themselves. It’s about making the unspoken, spoken and ensuring that each team member sees how their work contributes to the greater goal.
Enrollment happens when leaders create an environment built on trust where team members feel heard, valued, and aligned with the mission. This requires dialogue—not just directives. It means taking the time to listen deeply to team members' motivations, concerns, and aspirations.
When enrollment is present:
People take ownership – They feel connected to the mission and proactively contribute ideas.
Collaboration thrives – Trust replaces fear, and individuals work together towards a common goal.
Innovation accelerates – When people believe in the work, they seek ways to improve and refine it.
Commitment deepens – Work becomes more than just a task; it becomes a meaningful pursuit.
Great work isn’t the result of control. It’s the result of belief. And belief doesn’t come from coercion—it comes from leadership.
The question for every leader is this: Are your people complying, or are they enrolled?
Because people aren’t the problem—they are always the solution.
Practices to Create Enrollment
Lead Yourself First: Shift from Fear to Hope – Before you can lead others into enrollment, you need to check your own motives. Fear will drive you to operate from scarcity, leading to coercion or even manipulation. Instead, slow down, reflect, and shift to leading from hope and abundance.
Action to take today: Take 10 minutes to reflect on a current leadership challenge. Are you approaching it from a place of fear or hope? Journal your thoughts and identify one way to reframe your approach with a more hopeful and empowering mindset.
Move the Implicit to the Explicit – If we don’t take the time to create clear communication and a feedback loop—where we listen to ensure that what was sent was received and understood in a way that fosters collaboration—then all other steps will be in vain.
Action to take today: Hold a team meeting and invite everyone to share one thing in the last month that wasn’t as clear as it could have been in terms of communication. Have them discuss what was confusing about it and how they could have been better supported with clearer information.
Align Around Core Values – Not just words on a wall, but actual behaviors that demonstrate a core value is growing within individuals and the team as a whole.
Action to take today: If you haven’t already, craft a set of 3 to 4 core values. Then, host a team meeting where you go through each core value and ask the team to suggest behaviors that would demonstrate that value flourishing within the team.
Craft a Clear and Concise Vision/Mission – Whether it’s the long-term vision of the company, the department, or the next sprint, clarity is key.
Action to take today: Sit down with your team and review the goals of your biggest overarching projects. Ensure each aligns with the mission and vision. Moving forward, make sure every project proposal has clearly stated goals aligned with the mission.
Permission to Innovate – Innovation is born out of a desire to make things better, and that desire is fostered by permission, agency, and room for failure.
Action to take today: Ask your team, "What’s one thing we could improve?" and give them space to experiment with solutions.
Create Psychological Safety – The highest-performing teams feel safe to share ideas, admit mistakes, and challenge each other.
Action to take today: Conduct an anonymous survey to assess team safety. Ask questions like, "Do you feel comfortable sharing new ideas?" and "Can you speak up without fear of retribution?" Synthesize the feedback and implement small, meaningful changes.
Recognizing and Celebrating Contributions – People stay engaged when they feel valued.
Action to take today: Start your team meetings by recognizing one team member’s contribution that exemplifies a core value or drove progress toward a shared goal.
Continuous Learning and Growth – Enrollment thrives when people feel they are developing in meaningful ways.
Action to take today: Ask each team member what skill or area they’d like to grow in that would help them do their work better. Support their growth through mentorship, learning budgets, or dedicated projects.
