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The Make It Happen Moment ® Expect The Best

by Gary J. Borgstede  
7/04/2009 / Leadership

Quote: "The leader who expects his people to perform the best will achieve the greatest results!" - Joe D. Batten

Did you know that a person performs to the level of expectation that you have of them? Having this knowledge and acting upon it is extremely powerful for the leader who wants to achieve great results with people. To test the validity of this leadership practice, a group of organizational development researchers conducted a research trial that studied and analyzed the effects of teachers' expectations on the performance of their students. The name of the research trial, "The Harvard Test Of Inflected Acquisition" is referenced in Joe Batten's book, Tough-minded Leadership. The outcome of the trial is totally amazing!

Teachers were told that their students were going to be tested for their mental aptitudes and intellectual potential by administering a test designed to identify the top 20% that would bloom intellectually over the course of the school year. Little did the teachers know that the test was nothing more than an outdated, rarely used IQ test, which wasn't even going to be graded by the researchers. Instead, the researchers randomly selected 20% of the students and identified them as students with significant growth potential. Would you care to guess how those students performed over the year? Amazingly, those students whom the teachers expected to progress, grow, and improve over the year did in fact do so by as much as 50% in their performance scores. How powerful is the reality of expectations and its effect on people's performance?

This is so important because when leaders expect people to perform their best, they will actually begin to perform their best. High expectations of people demonstrate that you believe in them and think that they are first rate; however, leaders must be careful to distinguish between high expectations and unrealistic expectations. Expecting someone to pull a rabbit out of a hat when he or she isn't a magician is an unrealistic expectation. Guard against unrealistic expectations by clearly defining expectations that people are capable of reaching and achieving with proper tools, training, and encouragement. Then, in the spirit of faith, hope, and love, expect people's best performance and be amazed at what can happen!

The Make It Happen Professionalism Value: "Make It Happen" People Are Professionals!

Have a blessed "Make It Happen" day!

Written by Gary J. Borgstede
President and Founder of The Make It Happen Learning Institute Reaching People, Unleashing The Extraordinary! www.makeithappenbooks.com

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment Expect The Best Copyright 2004, The Make It Happen Learning Institute. You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment Expect The Best, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission. All other rights reserved.

Gary J. Borgstede is the published author of the leadership books titled, The Make It Happen Journey and Kings Come Forth, as well as the faith-based leadership education blog at www.makeithappenmoment.com.

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