When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur. — Robert Rosenthal and Elisha Babad

Employees generally rise to our expectations of them.  This is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy or Pygmalion Effect.

It’s true because we treat people a certain way based on our expectations of them.  It comes out in our communication and attitude.

For example, if we believe that an employee doesn’t care about his or her job, we’re less likely to spend the necessary time with them in a coaching session. Instead, we may start down the road of an employee disciplinary action without ever trying to work with the employee to improve their performance.

(You’d be surprised how often employees tell human resources departments that their managers never tried to work with them but instead just embarrassed or punished them.)

When your employee’s performance fails, do you view him or her as a problem OR as an undeveloped asset with potential?  If you look for an employee’s potential and approach them that way, you may be surprised at how he or she responds to you.

Sometimes employees fail because their managers create a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. Their managers believe these employees are a certain way so these managers approach their employees in a manner that encourages those employees to act that way.

If you treat people the way they are, they get worse. Treat people the way they might be and they get better.

If you’re not getting the results you want from your employees, change your perspective and see what happens!

Sometimes, what we’re getting back from others is what we are putting out.