Expectation Motivation
Recently I was in line at a local grocery store when the supervisor came over and started berating the cashier; "Could you move any slower?" she asked sarcastically. The employee said nothing but by the time it was my turn she was in fact checking my groceries more slowly. Apparently, the answer was "yes," she could move more slowly.
Clearly, the supervisor lacked leadership skills but there is more to it. The manager was experiencing the "Pygmalion Effect."
In a Gallup Leadership Institute meta study the Pygmalion Effect-or Self-fulfilling Prophecy Effect-is stronger than most leaders would think. In fact, this effect is the greatest of any of the leadership development tools.
| What leaders think consciously or unconsciously about their teams will be communicated and the employees will raise or lower their performance to meet those expectations. |
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Here's how it works. In the study half of the leaders were told they would be working with exceptional groups of people-better, smarter, more motivated than the rest. The other half of the leaders were told nothing at all about their teams. In reality, the teams were randomly selected and no better or worse in their make- up. But the leaders approached their groups with the preconceived notions they were given by the study team. And in the end, the teams' actual performances were substantially different and consistent with what the leaders were initially told. The "superstars" performed like superstars. The other group performed like an average group.
According to Bruce Avolio in High Impact Leader (2006), "The so-called smarter or more motivated groups do better if the leader believes they are smarter or more motivated. Ironically, by creating the ruse, the largest intervention effects were obtained, compared to all other methods." Not only did the "better team" perform at a higher level but the participants on that team came to believe that their own skills were raised to a higher level.
In another analysis, self-efficacy---what employees thought of their own skills, improved work-related performance by an impressive 28%.
For leaders the message is clear. The way managers treat their employees really does make a difference and will have a direct impact on business results. What leaders think consciously or unconsciously about their teams will be communicated and the employees will raise or lower their performance to meet those expectations. As a strong leader it is important to:
Communicate expectations to the staff.
Keep the visions of the staff as positive as possible; try to visualize the employees as superstars.
The higher the level of expectation, the better the team will perform as long as they are given the proper support and encouragement.
So just like Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, managers can take average employees and turn them into superstars with a simple attitude adjustment and Leadership Solutions can help.
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