Creating an Optimal Challenge
If there is one universal question that life coaches constantly bump up against, it is this: How do you motivate someone to make and sustain the change they say they want? Just because a person has the desire or intention to change doesn’t mean they will be able to sustain the motivation to realize their goal.
The perfect example of this decline in motivation is the traditional New Year’s resolution. You know how it goes. In the first week, motivation is high, and some progress is made. That motivation begins to decline in week two and by the end of January, most people are back to their old habit patterns. Not only that but they’re discouraged because they couldn’t make the change they hoped for.
So, is it possible to motivate someone for an ongoing change? It is if you take the right approach.
When coaching someone, you want to create a relationship with your client that enhances motivation for change. This motivation can be either intrinsic (generated from within the person) or extrinsic (coming from sources outside of the person). Ideally, you want to foster intrinsic change.
This contrast between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is discussed a great deal in a theory called Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which shares many principles with positive psychology. Self-Determination Theory links motivation with optimal learning.
More specifically for this assignment, you will be exposed to how SDT approaches the idea of creating what is termed an “optimal learning challenge.” This simply means that in order to create the greatest intrinsic motivation for a task, the level of challenge needs to be just beyond the simple reach of the person to motivate them toward growth. But at the same time, the task can’t be too easily achieved, or it decreases interest and motivation for continued effort.
In this assignment, you will create an optimal challenge for your coaching subject based on what you know about their strengths, needs, obstacles, and goals from insights gained in your first coaching session. You will then attempt to employ this optimal challenge (with modifications suggested by the coaching client) as part of the action plan for your second coaching session.
Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:
· Create an optimal challenge that can be used in the action plan of the coaching session.
Background Information
When creating your optimal challenge, it’s not uncommon to create an optimal challenge that is too hard or too easy. You will be able to judge whether it is in one of these marginal areas by the response of your coaching client. They should feel that the task is doable but beyond what they would normally push themselves to accomplish. If you hear them reflect that type of response, you’ve hit the sweet spot you are aiming for.
Instructions
1. Read Chapter 13 in your textbook: Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute for Life Coach Training.
2. Read the article, What Is the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation? (new tab)
3. In a three- to four-page paper , respond to the following:
a. Identify one core issue that your coaching subject has indicated an interest in changing. Explain briefly what the issue is and how they want to change.
b. Based on your assessment of their current capabilities, why are they falling short of being able to realize the change they desire? Be specific. Mention previous failed efforts, lack of motivation, fear of failure, limiting beliefs, etc.
c. If you were to create a challenge for your client (that they also have a hand in developing) that stretched them toward their desired growth but kept it within realistic reach of attainment, what might that be? Explain this challenge in detail. Note: If you make it too hard, they are likely to fail and give up, which decreases motivation for trying again.
d. How would you structure the optimal challenge so that it was also not too easy? Note: A task that is too easy unintentionally promotes decreasing motivation because it doesn’t hold the person’s interest.
e. Let’s assume that you create an optimum challenge that stretches your coaching subject and builds intrinsic motivation. How would you then structure the next optimal challenge on the same issue to sustain intrinsic motivation? Note: Each optimal challenge accomplished takes the person one step closer to their overall goal while increasing intrinsic motivation for the task.
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