Start with a very different end in mind.

Learning and development can start with two different ends in mind: get people to do more of a particular behavior, or get better at deciding for themselves what to do. 

The dividing line is simple: if the task is black-and-white, adopting new, specific behaviors is a reasonable end. When tasks enter the grey zone, you want people to get better at deciding for themselves what to do. 

The program design for these two ends in mind is as different as night and day. 

If your end is for people to get better at deciding for themselves what to do in the grey zone, you have to turn off all feedback systems connected to the program. For good.

That means no praise, no criticism, no peer evaluation, no trainer evaluation, no scores. There isn't an evaluation waiting for them at the end, either.

Think of it a little like going to the gym. In the program, I temporarily take away something people normally have: feedback telling them whether they're doing the right thing. That creates resistance. They have to struggle with the situation and decide for themselves what makes sense. Then they go back to the real world, where feedback is everywhere, having spent some time strengthening their ability to make those decisions on their own. 

This design also puts unique pressures on the facilitator (like me), who will struggle to stay focused on the real end. Helping people and giving praise and feedback is so incredibly normal. And in many cases useful. But when the end is helping people get better at deciding for themselves what to do, I have to monitor my impulses a little more closely. 

I’ve been using this as my “end in mind” for almost a decade. And boy, I sometimes catch myself subtly praising answers that mirror my own thinking. This design pushes me to my own limits, leaves me a bit sweaty and tired after sessions!

If you want to give this a try, I’ve attached a simple comparison showing how the program design changes depending on which end you choose.

I doubt I am the only one who approaches development this way. If you have tried an approach like this and struggled, failed, or succeeded, I’d love to hear your thoughts.