Was it superior skills, good preparation or a well-rewarded system that enabled Team India to lift the T20 cricket World Cup once again? I think it’s the Pygmalion effect — the psychological principle, according to which ‘people tend to perform better when more is expected of them’. In our work world, would “high expectations” help colleagues outperform on their tasks?
In the 1960s, Harvard University psychologist Robert Rosenthal and his colleagues administered an IQ test at an elementary school in San Francisco. They told the teachers that, based on the test, they had identified in each class some students who were “set to blossom”. A year later, when the students were retested, the scores of the “blossoming” group had climbed significantly higher than the rest. The researchers attributed the superior performance to the various positive ways in which teachers may have interacted with the set. They pointed out that the teachers were more encouraging towards this group, did not criticise their mistakes and used warmer body language. Rosenthal termed it the Pygmalion effect, after the Greek mythological sculptor who fell in love with a statue and made it come alive.
Expectations delivered
If colleagues whom you regard highly don’t deliver on their promise, would you be more disappointed in them compared to team members from whom you expect less? But honestly, can we afford to expect less from any of our colleagues in a competitive world?
However, the truth is we tend to ignore the poor show of some team members as the focus is always on high-potential colleagues. In our professional space, aren’t we all in a constant toggle between engaging and pressurising our team to deliver a superior performance?
A matter of pressure
Some of us go beyond stating expectations to our teams and convert that into pressure. I once found myself becoming helpless with one of my colleagues. I was trying to media train him. He wasn’t able to deliver despite being a capable guy, and it was a crucial ability needed for his next role. In every meeting, I would taunt him about his lack of intent or effort. Initially, he used to fight back, asking me to wait and watch how he would turn around; with time, he became immune to my sarcasm and never developed those skills. For me, he turned out to be a lazy guy and I became a boss who only applied pressure and never encouraged or supported his needs.
We know each of our team members reacts to pressure differently. Some of us bounce back, and many of us are likely to whittle down.
Weight of reputation
How do the superstars in your organisation handle the pressure of performance? Though performance is contextual, every enterprise seems to be dependent on a few leaders or certain teams to give it the boost. It’s difficult to miss the attention these top-performing leaders get; everything they say is heard by the bosses, everything they do is highlighted as best practices by HR and CEOs.
When I was employed and running India operations, I could see the importance given to my counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia, as 90 per cent of the region’s profits came from those two countries. Life wasn’t easy for the leaders helming them; if their numbers dropped, they were under scrutiny, and an increase in attrition was criticised. They were monitored constantly, and it was not clear whether those leaders enjoyed the downside of the attention.
The Indian cricket team must have felt the same after the loss to South Africa in the recent T20 World Cup. Just like the cricket critics, there are many detractors in every organisation, and it would seem like they are waiting for the superstars to fail. The burden of expectation and reputation is a huge challenge to live up to for leaders with a past track record.
Assuming positive intent
Assuming the best for others is hard but necessary, argues Trinity University professor Amer Kaisser in his latest book, The Positive Intent Mindset. His research shows that positivity begets positivity. So, leaders who go in assuming that others are trying their best, they’re going to find evidence that others are trying their best. Whereas if leaders do the opposite, going in with some biases, not only will they feel miserable but will also likely find evidence on those lines. Think about the thousands of people who throng the stadium for India’s cricket matches in spite of the not-so-spectator-friendly facilities in our country. They are fans who want to cheer the Indian cricketers in high-stakes games. With millions of fans supporting, it’s only natural that the Indian cricket team lifts its game and keeps winning more often than not.
Imagine working in an organisation or team where everyone is cheering for you and not just their top performers?
(Kamal Karanth is Co-Founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing company)
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Published on March 16, 2026
