So dear reader, the last few days have been quite testing for me. I guess this is the season of flu and other diseases across the globe. I hope you and the people around you are well.
Anyways, have you heard about this beautiful 1989 movie named Dead Poets Society? If you have, you would remember this scene:
This scene is famous for its display of “conformity” in society. But many people miss out on the more important display of Challenge by Choice.
That is what I want to talk about today. Because that’s how you can bring the best out of your colleagues and clients.
“But Bhagyesh, I’m not a teacher. I’m a knowledge worker in a small organization!” you may scream in your head.
Just for this tiny moment, this little exchange, we disagree. But not for long. You will agree with me in a minute.
Don’t you think the job of a teacher is to facilitate the learner in his/her journey?
Also, isn’t that job of a manager or a colleague? We have a responsibility to let the team get their work done. Without interference. Wherever we see in any organization, people have this seductive urge to manage people. They think that they have a duty to manage people.
Our duty as a colleague, as a manager, as a CEO is to facilitate people’s learning.
Not a teacher, not a guru, not a mentor.
A facilitator.
That’s how I look at it.
What is challenge by choice?
The answer is shown beautifully in the movie clip that I shared at the beginning. If you haven’t watched it already please give it a watch.
Here’s the dialogue from the last 15 seconds.
This.
This refusal is part of challenge by choice concept.
So, what’s the concept?
In experiential education practice, a student chooses what degree of challenge he/she wants to take up. If he doesn’t want to take up the challenge, he can opt-out.
The principle believes that when a student makes a choice, without any peer pressure or instruction, he/she gets to learn and grow. More learning than when they’re told to do something.
So, this puts the responsibility to learn on the shoulders of the student.
Your colleagues and team are learners
Whether they know this or not.
But when they get to take responsibility for their own learning, they know. And they grow.
And they wouldn’t want things any other way.
Example
I have had the rare luck of working for great bosses. They have made my outlook on work trauma-free and optimistic. But I don’t want to share a personal story to illustrate what challenge by choice looks like in practice.
That’s why I thought to put up a little bit of an exchange of fictional dialogues here:
You can’t force “knowledge work”
There are different ways to get knowledge work done.
You can use fear on your team to get a report finished. Or charm too. You can use all emotions in the toolbox to get the knowledge work done.
But if you think about it, isn’t it their job — their responsibility — to do their work?
The whole idea of people management goes for a toss when you have to hold a to-do list for people and follow up with them. This is what I have talked about in the seductive urge to manage people.
What’s the alternative?
Set the challenge — and let them choose.
People enjoy and learn when they take responsibility for their own learning — in our case, their own work. Their work is their learning.
Does it work?
Let’s do one thing, Hit reply right now and tell me if you thought “Isn’t this challenge by choice thing too idealistic? If I let my colleagues decide what they want to take up, I will be doing all the work. Things don’t work like that in real life.”
Seriously, just hit reply and tell me. I’m eager to know.
Because I too had thought the same when I had come across this concept.
But surprisingly, this works.
In fact, once you try it, there is no better approach.
Won’t people shrug off their responsibilities?
That’s a common misconception.
Just because one of the components of challenge by choice includes “the right to refuse participation” doesn’t mean it is the by-default option.
You will be amazed, how many people take up more responsibilities when they’re encouraged to choose their challenge.
Do you work in a Nuclear Reactor control room?
If you were, we wouldn’t be discussing this.
Because there are certain job types where compliance is a necessary evil. You don’t invite your colleagues to take up a challenge of work. You have to follow the set procedure otherwise, the consequences would be catastrophic.
But as far as your work includes “thinking” and “collaborating”, I recommend trying challenge by choice.
And I have some excellent readings on this.
Email me back and let me know if you want to level up your concept on challenge by choice. I will share the readings with you.
Written: August 8th, 2023 | Place: Ahmedabad
Reads of the week:
1. Trees at Night: Stunning Rorschach Silhouettes from the 1920s: I loved the trees paintings in this article. In the 1920s, Arthur Henry “Art” Young, published breathtaking paintings of tree silhouettes.
You may want to skip the read, but not the paintings.
2. Billionaires Build: Why don’t billionaires stop working? No, it’s not money. Paul sheds light on what Y Combinator partners look for in prospective startup founders and why you can’t cheat them.
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