In 1968, Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson tested children in a California elementary school and gave their teachers a list of those who were “unusually clever.” What they didn’t tell the teachers was that the names on the list were just randomly selected.
A curious thing happened when the researchers returned at the end of the year to retest the students. Each child on the “unusually clever” list improved their scores far beyond the other children. Why?
Because what the teachers believed unwittingly informed their attitude and behavior toward these students. The students–experiencing their teachers’ attitudes and behavior–formed positive beliefs about themselves which translated into improved performance.
Rosenthal called this phenomenon “the Pygmalion effect,” inspired by Ovid’s sculptor whose infatuation with his own creation brought it to life.
The Pygmalion effect has been empirically proven to be at work between army officers and soldiers, between managers and employees, even between researchers and their laboratory rats. In every case, performance rose—or fell—to match the expectations in the minds of the leaders.
The same is true for relational trust.
The quality of our trust is defined by the expectations we send along with it…and we often lower our expectations to protect ourselves. This can be prudent for rational trust, but what about relational trust?
Research shows that due to the Pygmalion effect, when we extend relational trust with high expectations, we actually enhance the authenticity and benevolence of the other person. In effect, we make people more trustworthy by trusting them.
Here are three practical ways you can extend relational trust with high expectations:
- Assume positive intent. No matter what. Sure, you may get burned once in a while. However, it’s a small price to pay for the massive dividends this one habit pays out almost every day.
- Give responsibility. Humans are designed for responsibility. Give people the chance to own something—something you know they can handle, even if they might not know it just yet.
- Schedule check-ins. Leave them alone. Be available for help, but resist the urge to hover or micromanage by designating mutually agreed-upon times to assess progress and give direction.
For Reflection: How could you trust one person more today?
Update: 53,250 words
I’ve written 53,250 manuscript words out of a goal of 60,000. That puts me about 89% complete with the first draft, which is 5% more than last week.
I was telling a friend this week how my standard operating procedure is to “wait to the last minute, ‘cause then it only takes a minute.” I realize, however, I can’t write a book in a minute. So I’ve chosen the path of small cumulative returns. It’s not my comfort zone (and I don’t know if it will ever be), but the “slow but steady” approach is paying off.
