Learn how to motivate through challenge. Discover how to tap into people's desire to excel and prove themselves when other approaches have failed.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Sat 24th January 2026
Charles Schwab had a mill manager whose people weren't producing their quota. Schwab asked, "How is it that a manager as capable as you can't make this mill turn out what it should?"
"I don't know," the manager replied. "I've coaxed the men, I've pushed them, I've sworn and cursed, I've threatened them with damnation and being fired. But nothing works. They just won't produce."
Schwab asked for a piece of chalk. He walked to the nearest worker and asked, "How many heats did your shift make today?"
"Six."
Schwab chalked a big figure 6 on the floor and walked away without a word.
When the night shift came in, they saw the 6. "What's this?" they asked.
"The big boss was here today," the day workers said. "He asked how many heats we made, and we told him six. He chalked it on the floor."
The next morning Schwab walked through the mill. The night shift had rubbed out the 6 and replaced it with a big 7.
When the day shift reported for work, they saw the 7. They set to work with enthusiasm. When they quit that night, they left behind them an enormous, swaggering 10.
Shortly thereafter, this mill that had been lagging behind was producing more than any other mill in the plant.
The one major factor that motivates people is the work itself. If the work is exciting and interesting, the worker looks forward to doing it and is motivated to do a good job.
That's what every successful person loves: the game. The chance to prove themselves. The opportunity to excel, to win, to outperform.
Create friendly competition:
Important: Competition should be inspiring, not demoralizing. Structure it so everyone can win something.
A goal just barely out of reach creates motivation:
Too easy: "Let's aim for the same results as last quarter" Too hard: "Let's triple our output" (creates despair, not motivation) Just right: "What would it take to beat our best-ever performance?"
The challenge should feel achievable with effort but impossible without it.
Frame the challenge in terms of who they are:
"I thought you were the person who could handle anything."
"This project needs someone who's not afraid of difficult problems."
"I've heard you never back down from a challenge—is that true?"
When you challenge their identity, they rise to defend it.
A deadline creates urgency:
"Can we get this done by Friday?" "What would it take to launch a week early?" "I bet we can't finish this in under an hour—can we?"
Time constraints focus energy and create momentum.
Frame the challenge as unprecedented:
"No one has ever pulled this off before." "This would be a first for our industry." "People will say it can't be done—let's prove them wrong."
The chance to achieve something unique is deeply motivating.
Harvey Firestone didn't just make tires—he made making tires a game. Workers competed to beat records, to outdo each other, to achieve things that seemed impossible.
"I have never found," Firestone said, "that pay and pay alone would either bring together or hold good people. I think it was the game itself."
Think of someone who needs motivation. Ask yourself:
Craft your challenge around their specific pride points.
The Record Challenge: "The fastest this has ever been done is X. Can you beat it?"
The Expert Challenge: "Everyone says this is impossible. What do you think?"
The Team Challenge: "The other department says they can outperform us. Shall we let them?"
The Legacy Challenge: "This could be the thing you're remembered for."
The Doubter Challenge: "There are people who don't think you can pull this off..."
Use challenges when:
Be careful with challenges when:
Roosevelt loved challenges. He filled his life with difficult expeditions, political battles, and personal tests. Why? Because he understood that overcoming difficulty is intrinsically rewarding.
When you throw down a challenge, you're offering something valuable: the chance to feel that reward.
A challenge without support creates stress, not motivation. Combine:
The message should be: "This is hard, and I believe you can do it."
Mastering the challenge principle completes Part 3 on winning people to your way of thinking. Part 4 takes you further—into leadership and how to change people without giving offence.
When nothing else works, throw down a challenge. Give people the opportunity to prove themselves, to achieve, to excel. That's often all the motivation they need.
Principle 12: Throw down a challenge.