In this conversational segment, Mike Michalowicz recounts a classroom exercise where he held up a $20 (or $50) bill and repeatedly asked, “Who wants this?” The initial hesitation of students illustrates a cultural aversion to taking something offered, reflecting fear of rejection. By persisting with the question, he encourages students to question the ingrained rule of raising a hand to claim something, eventually prompting a student to break the norm and take the bill. Michalowicz uses this to discuss how people often double down when a tactic fails, rather than redefining the rules, emphasizing the importance of embracing failure and creating new strategies. Once the first student takes the bill, a cascade of action follows, turning the classroom into a mad dash, highlighting social proof and collective momentum.
Chapters
Might be a little off topic, but you very kindly came to my son's school and spoke to his academy group. And he said that you had done this exercise. Oh, you did? Yeah, where you held up a $20 bill and you said, who'd like this $20 bill? And the kids just kind of sat around looking at each other nervously. And one kid, I think, finally came up and said, I do. After a lot of egging. Yeah, a lot of egging and took it. But like, that was it. That was just the lesson. Are you going to move? Are you going to go? Are you going to do? Are you going to take that step? I love the idea of kind of desensitizing yourself to the aspect of rejection.
I'm so happy John Henry saw that or landed with him. There was another experiment we did in that same class. Here's what you do with the $20 or $50, whatever nomination is. I hold it up and say, who wants this? Because what you know is the cultural behavior is to raise your hand. We're in a classroom environment. I want that. And then I just repeat the question, who wants it? And there's a little bit of confusion and they raise their hand higher, maybe it was. And I repeat, who wants it? And it's by the third or fourth, they're like, okay, what's going on with this game? What's so interesting is, I can't remember that one specifically, but I think it took me 10 or 15 tries. Who wants it? Who wants it? I'm shaking it until someone's like, oh, maybe I don't have to follow this historical rule.
Ah, it goes even deeper.
Yeah. That's the problem with failure. When something doesn't work, we double down. So when I raise my hand and say, I want it, and I didn't get it, I raise my hand higher. I don't try to break the rules. Embracing failure is to say, this didn't work, and what's the new rule set I can consider? So it's actually modifying the rules. And then finally a student came up and grabbed it. It was also interesting is that once the first one started moving toward it—
Everybody started to get out of their seats. It was a mad dash.
