Challenge by Choice

The first time I heard the concept of “challenge by choice” was the second day of pre-term on an outdoor adventure led by Laura Georgianna, Donald F. Douglas Director of the Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows Program and senior lecturer, at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. The idea is that we should push ourselves outside of our comfort zone—but that everyone’s comfort zone is different.

I fear heights. Classmate Seth Petty is also afraid of heights. Colby Karel, on the other hand, is a climbing extraordinaire. When the three of us face a challenge such as scaling an outdoor rock wall, our comfort zones differ.

Challenge by choice allowed us to push outside our comfort zones without measuring ourselves against one another. My goal was to make it halfway up the wall. Seth’s was to make it three-quarters of the way up. Colby’s was to go up with a blindfold on. We ended the day feeling satisfied with our progress and closer as a class.

Comparison is the thief of joy

In the MBA setting, even though classmates are all pursuing different career goals, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, but ultimately, there is nothing to be gained.

The Johnson School put me in a position to succeed in internship recruiting. However, I could not have done it without the community of my classmates who supported me every step of the way. My classmates who also recruited for similar careers could have viewed it as competition, but we worked collaboratively to prepare for interviews and secure as many offers as possible.

Challenge by choice in the workplace

Let’s apply this to the next department meeting. The junior employee on your team in an entry-level position may find it challenging to speak up about what work they are doing. Thinking about challenge by choice, empowering the junior person to speak by setting up the department meeting so every employee gives work updates will give that junior employee a chance to push themselves.

The senior-level employee might not find that to be a challenge at all but may find it difficult to represent the department on a cross-functional task. Consider empowering them to take over a workstream and represent the department on that process. Ask them what workstream they want to own, and if they could change anything, what would they do?

Leading by empowering others is a powerful tool. It disincentivizes comparisons among colleagues and removes competition between peers. Challenge by choice allows you to provide an avenue of personal improvement at one’s own pace. It’s also an excellent methodology to cultivate a positive workplace environment.

A challenge

If you are reading this, I want to challenge you—if you choose—to empower someone around you. Offer them the choice to take on a new challenge; it may just surprise you.

About the author

Nicolas Hernandez MBA ’25 is a mergers and acquisitions associate at Harris Williams. He came to Johnson after working as a compliance analyst at Oak Hill Advisors in New York City, covering trading and regulatory compliance for funds investing in bank loans, private credit, collateralized loan obligations, and bonds. Prior to that, he was a paralegal in insurance litigation for Clyde & Co. He has a bachelor’s in political science from Yale University.