Another way of stating this truth is that "People have a way of living up to (or down to) our expectations of them."
As a leader, I want much to be expected of me. I enjoy rising to the occasion, exceeding expectations, and competing against myself (and others). This manifests in every area of my life in some form.
John Maxwell's name is synonymous with leadership, and is at least partially responsible for many of the leadership lessons I've learned. He teaches that leaders who are a SEVEN will not tend to attract and retain eights, nines, and tens. They will attract those who are peer level or below. He expands on this thought in several of his books, saying that fives can become eights over time. If a leader wants to attract and produce better leaders, the leader must become better themselves.
As a leader of others, I want others to WANT me to expect much of them. I believe that high expectations can bring out the best in individuals. I also think it is important to keep expectations realistic. I cannot expect a five to become an eight overnight, so time is a necessary component. I must allow opportunities for people to develop and to fail on their way to success. Deeper still is an awareness that many fives see themselves as fives. Calling them to become an eight might overwhelm or even discourage them from trying at all. Instead, it's better for me to call them to become a six, and as they approach this, to raise the bar to a seven, then ratchet up to an eight, etc.
Don't get the idea that I see people in terms of these labels. I'm simply borrowing Maxwell's analogy and applying it to the truth that "no one ever rises to low expectations" and working it out in my mind. Although people can be hurt if their leader's expectations are unreasonably high, I believe they can also be hurt when their leaders fail to expect enough of them.
Two labels applied to leaders in our culture are "coach" and "mentor". Often, we would blur the lines of distinction between these two, but they are NOT the same. A mentor's intent is to duplicate themselves in those they lead. They pour their heart and life into the recipient. Mentors are of value for teaching others what the learner wants or needs to know. Coaches on the other hand have a much different goal. Instead of pouring INTO someone, their role is to PULL OUT what is locked inside of the individual. Tiger Woods is consistently the premier golfer on the planet. Michael Phelps is the world's best swimmer across multiple disciplines. What these men have accomplished is extraordinary. The truth is that both of these men have coaches whom they employ to help them become the best they can be. None of their coaches, however, are capable of the excellence their students have achieved. Their coaches pull out the best in them, even though they cannot match them.
I pursue both coaches and mentors in various areas of my life. I also serve in each of these capacities for others.
As a leader, both as coach and as mentor, I want to always be effective in developing leaders around me. I must be sensitive to their needs, and ratchet the bar higher as they achieve.
Records are not set because someone delivers at top performance without a goal. Records happen when we run just "that much faster" or jump "that much higher" than someone did before us. Is there any limit to what we can accomplish when much is expected of us, and we're given the time to develop?
