Design a stretch with safety rails
Design stretch assignments that create learning without avoidable damage.
A stretch assignment should increase complexity, not randomness. People learn from challenge when they can connect what they did to what happened next. That connection breaks when the assignment is vague, politically undefined, or too risky for the learner's current judgment. What makes an assignment developmental The work should demand something new: broader influence, more ambiguity, a larger business trade-off, or visible decision-making. If the assignment only adds volume, the person may get busier but not better. Why safety rails matter Support is not the opposite of stretch. It is what keeps stretch from becoming a confidence crater. Escalation rules,…
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