Leaders who expect a lot of their team members are typically rewarded with superior results.
Research consistently confirms that what leaders expect from team members has a tremendous influence on the outcomes they achieve.
Leaders with high standards and expectations, and who are relationally supportive of team members, amplify motivation, confidence, and commitment in those who follow them.
The critical link is that leaders with high expectations must be viewed as caring about those who must sacrifice to meet the demands.
When leaders express confidence in others through the high expectations they have for them, people internalize those beliefs and see themselves as more capable.
Hence, they rise to the occasion. Psychologists call this the Pygmalion Effect after the Greek myth of a sculptor whose belief in the beauty of his statue brought it to life.
As a rule, leaders either need to raise their expectations or increase their caring for team members. When both are high, team members and teams accomplish great outcomes. This is true even when leaders are fearful that team members will bristle at or refuse to live up to their expectations.
Consider the very real challenge college athletic coaches face in the U.S., given the new rules around transferring to another school.
Those coaches now face a transfer portal where players can instantly leave one program at the end of a semester and transfer to another, competing for the new school without any wait time.
Many coaches are cautious about asking too much from players because they fear the players might pick up and go elsewhere. But the best college coaches do the opposite.
Good coaches don’t stop asking their players to sacrifice and give a lot. They remain demanding, knowing that it is high standards and expectations that create a deeper commitment from the best athletes.
The more they ask of their players, the more sticky they become to the organization. And by facing and executing on the high expectations together, teams become united and close-knit.
Leaders who are not college athletic coaches don’t normally think of it this way, but they have always operated in an open transfer portal. Team members can leave anytime for what they perceive as greener pastures elsewhere. This has always been the case.
The answer to this challenge is not to lower expectations and demands but to raise them. By investing in team members and building solid relationships of mutual caring, the best leaders continue to ask more of their team and team members.
When relationally caring leaders elevate what they expect from team members, everyone achieves more, and team members double their effort and commitment.
Are your expectations high enough? Do team members know you care? Elevating both is the winning combination.
