How do we achieve our vision? By pushing or pulling?

Which strategy yields better results, push or pull?

To answer this one, I want to first travel back in time

In 1968, two researchers studied the extent to which expectations influence students' performance in a classroom. They found positive expectations influence performance positively, and negative expectations influence performance negatively.

The researchers said: "When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur." (Rosenthal and Babad, 1985)

This finding has been termed the Pygmalion Effect, or more universally known as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Pygmalion takes us back to Greek mythology.

The story of Pygmalion is a myth about a Cypriot sculptor who deeply fell in love with his own sculpture. He prayed with all his heart and soul to goddess Aphrodite to bring the sculpture to life. The goddess was touched by his sincerity and granted his wish. Pygmalion and his creation lived happily ever after as man and wife

Like all myths, this reflects a universal truth. It reveals how the way one person treats another can, for better or worse, be transforming. Or, in Pygmalion's case, life-giving (literally).

How does this relate to leadership?

One word from the above history lesson stands out – expectation. Let's hone in.

How do leaders set expectations?

Leaders can either push or pull their team towards the desired goal.

A push strategy has been the traditional strategy. 'The boss' sets the plan, sets everyone's expectations and holds their team accountable. This model relies on heavy expectation setting and clear direction, commanded from the top down.

A pull strategy is where the person in charge delegates significant responsibility to the team to create the best possible solution. It relies on the team having high amounts of discipline, inspiration and initiative. Expectations are set differently: by requiring participation, leaders are driving development. The manager is treating their team in a way that commands superior performance.

In essence, a push strategy is a more solid way of setting expectations. A pull strategy is more fluid.

Both have risks, of course: The risk with a push strategy is that expectations set of the team members may be lower than they are capable of achieving, resulting in lower overall performance. This risk with a pull strategy is that the implied expectations may be unrealistic, and the team give up trying.  

So, which is more effective?

Or, another way to look at this: Which is stronger, rock or water?

The answer appears obvious (rock) but look again. Water has the power to wear rock down. Water is not stronger than rock for its density. It's stronger than rock for its fluidity; it's ability to drip, flow, seep or flood. Over time, the constant dripping of water will eventually cause an indentation in a rock.

Water is stronger over time. In other words, a pull strategy is a marathon, not a sprint.

How to push in the pull in your leadership strategy?

A pull strategy is a more effective long-term strategy because it drives employee engagement and draws out the potential of each team member. But, to get to the desired outcome, employees do need a push in the right direction. Meaning, the task set of the team needs to be clear, realistic and achievable.

The key for a leader is to recognise the potential within their team and then pull accordingly.

This is where the rubber meets the road. And it all hinges on the leader's inner landscape.

What a leader believes about themselves subtly influences what they think about their team. How a leader treats themselves will impact how they treat their team. And what a leader expects of themselves will be what they expect of their team.

If the leader has inner doubts, they will expect less. If they have inner confidence, they command more.

Self-awareness is the thing that allows a leader to harness the Pygmalion Effect and positively and realistically set expectations for their team. A leader's self-awareness ultimately gives them the confidence to pull an organisation towards its desired vision and, just like Pygmalion, bring their creation (or vision) to life.

(For the record, self-awareness is the exact thing we cultivate here at Leadology).

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