Your Employees Are a Reflection of You: The Power of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

by Laci Canion

    Leaders play a defining role in shaping the careers and futures of the people around them. The manner in which a manager influences their employees can be long lasting and significant. A manager’s actions mold and shape the employee and often determine the success of that employee by either helping or hindering the employee from reaching their full potential. Managers have the power to build up or tear down an employee’s self-confidence. In order for a manager to have a positive effect on an employee and to bring out the full potential in an employee the manager must, without exception be a principle-centered leader.

     You can always tell a leader who is principle-centered because they radiate energy like a light beaming from within. They are positive, upbeat and believe in the potential of their employees. Principle-centered leaders also exhibit characteristics of a servant-leader. They are there for their employees and want to be utilized as a resource to help employees perform to the greatest extent possible. Effective leaders always surround themselves with competent, effective people. They shy away or totally avoid those who exude negative or destructive energy. Effective leaders who practice principle-centered leadership understand that there are things that are very important that will contribute to the employee feeling totally invested in a company.  These include being treated fairly, being able to voice their opinions, having the chance for advancement and growth through evaluation of their work and being believed in and trusted. (Covey, p.35,)

     Most workers want to do a good job and want to contribute their ideas. This depends on the workers and on the environment. It also depends heavily on what assumptions the managers bring to their job of organizing and processing work. The self-fulfilling prophecy, according to psychological theory, is certain assumptions or beliefs held by individuals that elicit the conduct they expect will occur – consciously or unconsciously.

     If a manager assumes that employees are lazy and apathetic, then the manager’s behavior is likely to be more directive than if he assumes the employees are conscientious, motivated and responsive. The result is then that the employees are likely to expect direction from their boss and sit around and wait for it instead of taking initiative and thinking creatively.

     The manager creates a cycle through his/her negative assumptions that results in the employee exhibiting the least desired behavior. The only way to stop or interrupt this process is to change assumptions – both the manager’s and the employee’s. A manager has the power to create a new reality, which is an amazing power to possess. It is important and helpful when leaders are principle-centered because they understand this power. “They don’t feel built up when they discover human weaknesses. They are not naïve; they are aware of weaknesses. But they realize that behavior and potential are two different things. They believe in the unseen potential of all people.” (Covey, 1992).

     Take a look at the following “self-fulfilling prophecy chart” to see how the cycle works:  

    As you can see from the chart, the cycle is started by the assumption (whether right or wrong) of the boss about his/her employee. This in turn causes the employee to have perceptions of himself or herself,f and then the employee reinforces the negative assumption to the boss by doing what the employee feels is expected (or not expected). You can take this chart and fill in the boxes with a positive assumption made by the boss such as “Laci is very creative, assertive and confident. I can give her a lot of responsibility and know that she will follow through and do a great job” and watch how the cycle develops. Even if the employee didn’t have the self-perception that he/she was that capable, just the fact that the boss had faith in him/her would make the employee work harder to exceed expectations. The effective leader gains more than just the “buy in” to the answer. The effective leader serves as a catalyst for change and provides his or her followers the opportunity to exert some control in determining their future. (Duncan,Warden, 1999).

     In exploring how the self-fulfilling prophecy works in the real work world, a hospital management team was given the definition of the self-fulfilling prophecy and asked to think about their own personal work experiences over their career and share their experience on how their perceptions resulted from an assumption of them made by their boss. Almost everyone on the team could remember an experience that made a lasting impression on him or her. Two stories were chosen, one a positive experience and one a negative experience.

     The first experience was shared by Mary who recalled her experience from 10 years ago when she had just taken her first nursing supervisor position in a psychiatric hospital. Her boss, the director of nurses for the hospital, seemed to lack faith that Mary was capable of handling the more difficult aspects of the job. The hospital was preparing for a big survey and there were many tasks to be accomplished before the surveyors arrived. Many of these tasks were Mary’s responsibility, but instead of her supervisor turning over the projects completely to Mary, she would only allow her to do the simpler parts of the tasks that usually amounted to tedious busywork that a nurse’s aid would be capable of doing. Mary wanted to do a good job and needed the direction and mentoring of her supervisor but her boss would never fully share information with her stating that it was “too technical” for her to understand. This went on for a year and Mary began to feel that maybe she wasn’t very competent and wouldn’t be able to do parts of her job. As a result of her boss’s assumptions, Mary began to fade into the background. She didn’t bother anymore to ask questions on how to do new things and became resigned to the fact that she wasn’t as competent as others around her and seriously considered going into another field.

     This is a perfect example of how an employee was shaped by the incorrect assumptions of her supervisor. Mary learned that the assumption by her boss was wrong because her boss retired later that year and a new director of nurses was hired who knew the importance of supporting employees and helping them achieve their potential. Her assumptions were just the opposite of Mary’s previous boss and Mary was given the mentoring she needed.  Her career did a complete turnaround and she was promoted within six months.

     The next experience was shared by Sandy, the assistant administrator of the hospital. Her experience was positive due to a positive assumption made of her by her boss. Although Sandy had been in the healthcare field for several years, this was her first job at the administrative level and she was a little nervous about the responsibility she was about to take on. Her boss’s assumption of her was that she was a real go-getter. He often told her that he was very impressed with her assertiveness and diplomacy and she could tackle any task she was given. Sandy felt at first that she didn’t deserve that level of confidence and was worried that she might let her boss down. She even grappled with the “fraud theory” that so many of us struggle with when we think, “I am a fraud, there is no way I can really do this job, I just got lucky – how am I going to pull this off?” Sandy said that it was the confidence that her boss had in her that actually made her a better employee. She tried harder than she ever had to be successful so she would not prove her boss wrong. If her boss had started off with a negative assumption about her and felt that he shouldn’t give her much responsibility because she couldn’t handle it, then she probably would have failed.

     Effective leaders realize the power they wield and understand the importance of using it wisely. In the complexity of today’s workforce, motivating people is more challenging than ever before. Even after all the advancements made in the area of human motivation, we still don’t do a very good job of making it a priority in the work place. Employee’s needs that must be met by their managers in order for them to reach their full potential include being trusted, receiving fair and equitable treatment, being respected and valued, and having the chance to grow in their jobs.

     Managers who understand human nature and follow principle-centered leadership know the value of employee loyalty. They believe in their employees and know to empower them through rewarding their performance. Immediate recognition (instant gratification) is crucial and many employees would rather receive recognition from their boss than a monetary reward. (Miller, p. 181) It is part of understanding human relationships.

     Before making incorrect assumptions about their employees effective leaders must:

·         Believe in their worth – show employees you sincerely believe in them

·         Empower employees by respecting their judgment and holding them accountable, and

·         Keep promises so employees will respect you as well. (Miller, 1993).

     Your employees are a reflection of you and your management style. Understand the power of influence and change you possess as a manager so that reflection is one you can be proud of.

Bibliography

  Covey, Stephen R. Principle-Centered Leadership. New York : Fireside, 1992.

 Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. New York : Simon & Schuster, 1989.

 Duncan, Eileen A., Warden, Gail. L., Influential Leadership and Change Environment: The Role Leaders Play in The Growth and Development of the People They Lead., Journal of Healthcare Management 44:4, 1999.

Miller, James B., The Corporate Coach, New York: Fireside, 1993.  

About the Author

Laci Laird Canion graduated from The University of Texas Austin in 1988 with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. She began working in the mental health field as a mental health aide at Austin State Hospital in 1987. She has continued her work in the mental health field over the past 16 years, primarily in administrative roles. Laci holds the license of LBSW (Licensed Bachelor of Social Work) and is also a licensed Child Care Administrator in the state of Texas . She is a member of the Advisory Committee on Inpatient Mental Health , a committee which serves the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. It reviews legislation and rulemaking relevant to inpatient mental health in Texas . Laci will graduate in the spring from The University of Texas at Tyler with a Masters degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on Health Care She is currently the Director of Operations for ETMC Behavioral Health Center in Tyler , Texas .