Leadership & Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Are You Selling Your People Short?

Perhaps you’ve never heard of the Pygmalion Effect, but you probably have seen it in action. Essentially, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby higher expectations lead to increased performance. Or perhaps we’ve seen Pygmalion’s evil twin, the Golem Effect, in action when low expectations yield diminished performance.

The Pygmalion Effect first drew large attention in the 1960s, when a Harvard psychologist named Robert Rosenthal conducted an IQ test at a South San Francisco elementary school. He identified to teachers certain students with the potential to “bloom” academically. In reality, the students were selected at random and the students themselves were not told of their assigned (and manufactured) potential. However, the children identified as having high potential experienced dramatic gains over the course of the year. The study revealed that the teachers’ expectations unconsciously affected the way they treated the children, thereby affecting the children’s performance.

The implications on leadership and management have been huge, yet few leaders seem to realize the effects their expectations have on the people with whom they work. Even those who are aware may not be sure how to leverage the Pygmalion Effect (and quiet Golem).

However, there are a few things one can do:

1. Develop your awareness: Look at the expectations you have of the people around you at work. Identify who may be the benefactors of the Pygmalion Effect and who may be the target of the Golem Effect.
2. Acknowledge the possibility that your expectations have consequences. Keep in mind that people pick up your expectations from nonverbal communication and your overall attitude.
3. Challenge your negative expectations and try to focus instead on potential. Every human being has strengths. It is a leader’s job to identify and cultivate the strengths of his or her people.
4. Observe the results of your effort and be willing to admit you may have underestimated someone. (Also, be on the lookout for Golem’s best friend, Confirmation Bias, the tendency to see new evidence as confirmation of your existing beliefs.)

While it may be startling to realize our expectations – both positive and negative – are so powerful, it’s exciting to consider that with some self-reflection and practice we can help all of our people “bloom.”