Subtle cues in our behavior influence what other people are capable of

The term “Pygmalion effect” was coined in reference to studies done in the 1960s on the influence of teacher expectations on students’ IQs

studies asked if teachers had high expectations, would those expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies regardless of initial IQ?

years of debate and analysis have resulted in the conclusion that the effects were negligible

Nonetheless, the concept of the Pygmalion effect—expectations influencing performance and becoming self-fulfilling prophecies—is widespread

In Pygmalion in Management, J. Sterling Livingston writes:

“Some managers always treat their subordinates in a way that leads to superior performance. But most…unintentionally treat their subordinates in a way that leads to lower performance than they are capable of achieving. The way managers treat their subordinates is subtly influenced by what they expect of them. If manager’s expectations are high, productivity is likely to be excellent. If their expectations are low, productivity is likely to be poor. It is as though there were a law that caused subordinates’ performance to rise or fall to meet managers’ expectations.”

The Pygmalion effect suggests our reality is negotiable and can be manipulated by others—on purpose or by accident

What we achieve, how we think, how we act, and how we perceive our capabilities can be influenced by the expectations of those around us

An interesting use of the Pygmalion effect might be that suggested by George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion

The play is, among other things, an exploration of how others’ expectations limit us

Eliza has far more potential than can be realized solely because of her accent

critical part of the plot is that Eliza herself is all too aware of how her speech holds her back and diminishes her value in the eyes of others

She sees the opportunities that will follow from changing her accent

The improvements in Eliza’s speech alone do not confer the opportunities. But being able to speak like a duchess puts her in the company of people from whom she can learn the sentiments and sensibilities of the upper class. When she begins to speak like them, they treat her differently, giving her an opening to expand her capabilities

“The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps.” —Carl Sagan

In Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: A Practical Guide to Its Use in Education, Robert T. Tauber describes an exercise in which people are asked to list their assumptions about people with certain descriptions

An anonymous survey of undergraduate students revealed mostly negative assumptions

Tauber asks the reader to consider how being exposed to these types of assumptions might affect someone’s day-to-day life

The expectations people have of us affect us in countless subtle ways each day

expectations dictate the opportunities we are offered, how we are spoken to, and the praise and criticism we receive

Individually, these knocks and nudges may have minimal impact

In the long run, however, they might dictate whether we succeed or fail or fall somewhere on the spectrum in between

A perfect illustration of this is the case of James Sweeney and George Johnson, as described in Pygmalion in Management

The Pygmalion effect is best understood as a reminder to be mindful of the potential influence of our expectations

Even if the effect is small, having high expectations in many situations can only inspire others regarding their own capabilities

People’s limitations can be stretched if you change your perception of their limitations

A lot of what we accomplish in life is done in groups

Individual success is often dependent on some degree of team success

better chance of succeeding when we are around others who succeed

If you want the people around you to have success, you can try raising your expectations