The Link Between High Expectations And High Performance

Could it be that expectations and performance share a causal link?

If you hold high expectations of yourself, you are likely to give a high performance. This link between high expectations and high performance is sometimes expressed with the phrase “self fulfilling prophecy.” If you anticipate that someone will perform well at a task, and treat them as if you expect them to perform well, chances are they will fulfill the prophecy you have set for them and turn in an excellent performance. If, on the other hand, you expect someone to fail and treat them like a failure, they are likely to fulfill that prophecy and fail accordingly.

You can probably think of some examples of this from your own life. I know I can. When I was in the eighth grade, I had a coach who looked at my lanky, uncoordinated body and saw a miler. No matter how much I argued with him, he was convinced that I could run a competitive mile, despite the fact that I had no endurance and no history of athletic accomplishments. You can probably guess the ending. Almost in spite of myself, I became a pretty darn good miler. No, I didn’t break any records or go on to be a track star, but I did develop a new appreciation of my body and what it could do. My coach’s high expectations led to a high performance that I had never suspected I was capable of giving.

Ideally, we will always have someone in our lives to cheer us on to higher ground-a boss, a friend, a spouse, a co-worker, a personal trainer, a counselor. But even if you don’t have someone to challenge you with high expectations, you can do it for yourself. When setting personal goals, deliberately aim high, even a little higher than you think you can achieve.

This is not an invitation to be completely unrealistic. If your band is currently playing at five gigs a month, it’s not realistic to set a short term goal for thirty gigs a month-but what about ten? By the same token, if you’re just learning how to cook you probably don’t want to volunteer to host Thanksgiving dinner for your whole family, but what about volunteering to bring a special homemade dish or inviting a couple of friends over for a small, intimate meal?

When you set high personal goals, it’s also important to pay attention to your self-talk, the messages that we give ourselves about the events taking place in our life. Make sure your self-talk is positive. “This is a challenging goal, but I know I can accomplish it. I have the talent and skills to do this. I will succeed.” If your self-talk is negative (“I know I can’t do this, why did I ever decide to try?”), you are giving yourself mixed messages and you may inadvertently sabotage yourself.

When you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk, use thought stopping (telling yourself “No!” or “Stop!”) to interrupt the negative voices and replace them with positive, supportive thoughts.

When you achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself, reward yourself by doing something that you love. You’ve worked hard and you deserve it! Then, when you’re ready, move the bar up a notch and challenge yourself with another high expectation.

High expectations can become self-fulfilling prophecies that lead to a high performance. When setting goals for yourself, never be afraid to aim high – you have what it takes to succeed!