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It doesn’t matter whether you are at work or at play; young or
old; rich or poor; man or woman - in this world you will find yourself
always being judged and evaluated according to your performance. And yet,
one’s personal level of performance is often a direct result of other
people’s expectations. If someone expects you to fail at something, you
often live down to that expectation. If they expect you to succeed, you do
everything you can to live up to that expectation. Let me demonstrate what
I mean by sharing a little story with you.
There was once a young lady who went to work for a company
immediately after graduating from college. She seemed extremely talented
but unbelievably timid. She was assigned to a small local marketing
department where she assisted in the production of basic advertising
material. Her supervisor associated her shyness with a lack of technical
and conceptual skills. As a result, she was never included in
brainstorming or planning sessions. The supervisor thought she was best
suited to simple graphics layout and paste-up.
Frustrated that her talents were squandered on simple tasks, she
applied to the corporate marketing department. The vice-president reviewed
her resume and transferred her without even so much as an interview. His
concept of the young lady was extremely positive and he immediately
assigned her to a series of important, key projects. She performed
magnificently.
A few months later, the original supervisor was in the
vice-president's office admiring the new corporate ad campaign. The
project consisted of television and radio commercials, full-page ads for
national publications and complete press kits. The supervisor asked,
"What kind of a Madison Avenue rain-maker worked this kind of
magic?" The VP replied, "This was all completed by that young
lady you sent me. That was the best move I ever made!"
SET
HIGH STANDARDS FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND THEY WILL SURPRISE YOU
You see, the young lady was held back by the expectations of her
former supervisor, who felt she was incapable of anything beyond the most
trivial of assignments. Her new supervisor, however, saw a completely
different person. He felt, from her resume, that she had enormous
potential and gave her ample opportunity to demonstrate that creativity.
As a result of this confidence and expectation, she performed at a very
high level.
As a classroom teacher I saw this all the time. There were many
students who came into my class with low marks and a reputation for having
poor work habits. I ignored previous reports and set high standards for my
pupils. Many of them protested that they “couldn’t” do the work. I
held my ground and told them that there was no reason why I should accept
a lower standard and assured them that I would never assign them anything
which I felt was beyond their capabilities. By showing them that I felt
they were competent, many of them found a new level of success that
surprised their parents and former teachers alike.
The message is clear. If your supervisors expect little from you,
and give you very little responsibility, you will likely perform to that
level. However, if your supervisors show confidence in your abilities and
give you corresponding responsibilities, you will rise to new levels which
may even surprise yourself.
ALWAYS
SHOW YOUR STUDENTS THAT YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITIES AND THEY
WILL PERFORM FOR YOU
This is something you must always remember when working with
students in your classroom. Show your students that you have confidence in
their abilities and they will rise to your expectations. They may fail
once in a while and may at times find it difficult, but they will become
much better for the experience.
If you are familiar with baseball, and perhaps if you are a bit
closer in age to me, you will remember Pete Rose. One day Pete was being
interviewed during spring training the year he was about to break Ty
Cobb’s all time hits record. A reporter asked him, “Pete, you only
need 78 hits to break the record. How many at bats do you think you’ll
need to get the 78 hits?”
Without hesitation, Pete looked at the reporter and said, “78.”
The report yelled back, “Come on, Pete. You don’t expect to get
78 hits in 78 bat bats do you?”
Rose explained, “Every time I step up to the plate I expect to
get a hit. If I go up there hoping to get a hit, then I probably don’t
have a prayer.”
APPROACH
EVERYTHING YOU DO IN LIFE WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE
SUCCESSFUL
Rose’s philosophy is one that we all should adopt. If you hope to
finish the project; if you hope to be a good father; if you hope to be a
good teacher; if you hope to finish your homework....you may do an
adequate job, but you will never make it to your ultimate goals.
Therefore, you must approach everything in life with an expectation that
you will always be successful. Nothing else is acceptable. You should
never do anything hoping to succeed. You approach everything expecting to
succeed. You may not get a “hit” every time you go to bat, but you
have to “expect” that you will or you will never get anywhere.
So next time you find yourself doubting your abilities, or unsure
about whether or not you are capable of handling your responsibilities,
remember Pete Rose. Go into everything in your life with the expectation
that you will do a great job, and you will be surprised at how well you
actually perform. And if someone else gives you a task that seems a bit
too difficult for you to handle, just remember that if that person thinks
you can do it, so should you. Go for it!
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