Expectations and Performance – The Pygmalion Effect at Work

In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a sculptor who carved an ivory statue of a beautiful women. It was so life-like and beautiful that he began to fall in love with it. Taking pity on the lovestruck artist, Aphrodite granted Pygmalion’s wish and transformed the statue into a real woman. It was Pygmalion’s belief in the statue that led to her becoming real.

In 1968, psychologist Robert Rosenthal studying the influence of expectations on performance dubbed the impact “the Pygmalion Effect” suggesting that people’s expectations influenced performance outcomes. In essence, when leaders expect good things of an employee, they generally rise to those expectations. When the leader has low expectations, results are predictably low. This is akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy regarding employee performance.

Take, for example, a new hire that a leader believes isn’t dedicated to the company. “He’ll be gone in 6 months,” the leader tells a colleague. That leader then fails to invest in the employee in terms of time or training, and the employee feels isolated and unengaged. Sure enough, their performance reflects the lack of care and they soon begin looking for another job. The vicious cycle of low expectations and low response to those expectations practically ensures unfavorable outcomes.

The result of this failure often serves to harden the leader. “Nobody can meet my standards. The labor market sucks. Kids these days…” A negative leader will eventually enter into every leadership relationship with low expectations which a series of new employees will fail to meet.

This is not a failure of the labor market or the talent pool. This is a perspective problem and a leadership failure.

On the positive side, leaders who believe that their employees can achieve great things and invest in them generally see much better results. When feedback to an employee starts with, “I am giving you this feedback because I believe you are capable of great things in this company,” the employee is more likely to respond favorably. This becomes a learning and growing moment for the employee, and the leaders’ expectations also continue to grow. If this is followed up with training, coaching, encouragement, increased challenges and responsibilities, that employee is more likely to thrive. That leader is likely to continue to have high expectations and will more frequently have them met.

This virtuous cycle is a far contrast from the vicious cycle the low-expectations leader is stuck in. The leader with high expectations gives generously of their guidance, trust, experience, and wisdom while still holding people accountable to high standards. The positive leader invests in their employees and reaps the benefits of people rising to their expectations.

So how are you doing, leader? How are you managing your expectations? Are your expectations realistic?

One question you can ask yourself about an employee is, “are they performing to the best of their ability?” If they are sincerely using all their resources and still can’t meet your expectations, maybe your expectations are unrealistic. If, on the other hand, they are capable of more, perhaps your low expectations are what’s holding them back.

Having candid caring and conversations about expectations will help you take advantage of the Pygmalion Effect and can be a game changer in your organization.

Bob Dixon is a leadership coach, a strategic consultant, a trusted advisor, and professional speaker at Arete Strategic Consulting. He is a combat veteran with over thirty years of military service and a passion for helping people achieve their vision.

He is the author of Leadership Insight: Challenging What We Think We Know and dozens of articles on leadership and national security. To learn more about working with Bob visit us at 5Eagles.us