Yes or No

After three weeks together…I send out the following email…three weeks is enough time for the new members of the tribe to get a sense of the rhythm of us…but more importantly its enough time for them to settle into the semester…get a sense of their workload in other classes…and maybe sense whether or not the journey ahead of them is for them. To help them bring forward this choice…in time for them to drop the course and find another…without financial penalty…I send out the following email.

Hey ______.

We become WE through the work. The work is what brings us together. It binds us and makes us a tribe. If someone will not or cannot do the work, then they will not and cannot become one of us. If someone does not do the work, they hurt the project, the client and our reputation. They hurt us. But ultimately they hurt themselves.

It’s time for you to assess your semester’s workload:

  • How many credit hours are you taking?
  • What are your assignments in other courses?
  • How many hours have you committed to work-study or a part-time job?
  • How many hours have you committed to extracurricular activities?

Having hung out with us for a couple of weeks and seen how hard we work, I need you to honestly answer the following:

  • Are you stretched too thin this semester? 
  • Is this the best time in your life for this class?

We are only 13 weeks away from the end of the semester. This sounds like a lot of time but it is not.  So, I need to know before our next class:

  • Are you committed?

Here’s my preferred ranking of your replies:

  • You say YES and WE go on to do incredible work together
  • You say NO and WE shake hands, go our separate ways, and work together on another project at another time
  • You say YES because you want to say YES but the answer is really NO and you produce mediocre work

Review our 11 promises and think carefully before answering. Don’t be concerned about leaving us in a difficult situation if your answer is NO. We are resilient. We’ll make it. And, if your is answer YES, we expect great things from you. 

Do the work. – dr H

Here’s the form I ask them to fill out and return to class with them:

YES

I AM READY TO COMMIT.

I AM READY TO BE VULNERABLE.

I AM READY TO TAKE ON MY FEARS.

I HAVE MADE THE PROMISES AND I WILL KEEP THEM.

X____________________________________________________

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

NO

I AM NOT READY.

WE WILL SHAKE HANDS AND COLLABORATE AT ANOTHER TIME OR ON ANOTHER PROJECT.

X____________________________________________________

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