It seems a matter of common sense for leaders to establish high expectations in order to achieve ambitious goals. Just because a leader's vision is grand, admirable or exciting, however, does not mean he should automatically expect his team to accomplish it.
The heft of a leader's skill is proved in executing strategies that facilitate others in achieving objectives. High expectations must be set for teammates. But that's not enough.
A leader will lead best by truly believing his team can and will succeed. This is the essence ofhigh expectations.
In 1963, Harvard's Robert Rosenthal first
published a paper in the American Scientist providing evidence that psychological researchers' expectations might have an influence on the performance of their research subjects. He speculated the same effect - the Pygmalion effect - would be observed in classrooms, too.
Indeed, years of subsequent research by Rosenthal and hundreds of his peers on the Pygmalion effect have confirmed the self-fulfilling prophesy of a leader's expectations. Whether in the laboratory, in the classroom, in management, on the battlefield or in sports, psychologists have documented the rather dramatic effect high (or low) expectations have on performance.
It appears we all communicate a great deal about our attitudes toward students, coworkers, subordinates, even our own children in ways that transcend ordinary language. The most calculated words and tactics can't hide what we honestly think and believe about the world and about others. These feelings have a tremendously powerful effect on how others perform and how things eventually turn out.
German dramatist and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) wrote, "Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be."
LPR graduates have turned out to be great leaders, and they should be. We expect all our students to turn out that way.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
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