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Alex Hecht's avatar

Thanks for another great article!

I mostly agree with the sentiment that "the enthusiasm-enhancing way to allocate people to tasks is to let the people allocate themselves." However, I was left mulling over a thought after reading this - when is it appropriate and/or justified to intervene?

Sometimes we don't have the "courage" to take the initiative and work on novel projects. I feel that part of the human condition is to have a tendency towards fearing the unknown, whether that fear is warranted or not. This can come at the cost of working on more fulfilling projects. Given that, isn't there a balance to be found -especially for our less experienced geeks- between "autonomy" and their "mastery"?

One way I have been trying to help the geeks around me feel safe in the world is by pushing them towards more challenging endeavors. I noticed this often requires limiting some of their autonomy, but it is always with the intention of helping increase, respect, and foster their sense of self-efficacy and mastery. I have found that, for the most part, they seem to be more fulfilled that way.

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Adam Ard's avatar

Love it. Letting people choose what they work on would be a huge quality of life upgrade for many workers. And letting people work on what excites them can only boost productive as well. Seems like a win/win. I wonder why so few organizations practice it?

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