Selvoppfyllende profetier

What should I do to get church staff to do their best?

This is a big question, and there are many different factors that affect effort. It is important to create belief that the work of the church is important. Of course, it is important to provide good facilities so that many can use their human and spiritual gifts. It is important to be a good role model and it is important to facilitate learning and so on.

Pygmalion

In this article, we will look at one specific relationship. We have called the article “self-fulfilling prophecies” for a reason. The article is about the importance of communicating high expectations to employees because it leads to employees reaching out and putting in a better effort with better results.

The term used in the literature is “Pygmalion leadership.” This field of research began in pedagogy. It investigated the effect of communicating high expectations on the performance of school students.

This phenomenon has later been studied in organizations. The question then became how leaders can contribute with high expectations to strengthen the coping skills and performance of employees in organizations.

Now, we are also studying how communicating expectations can change and improve the behavior of those we interact with. This expands the concept of leadership to include influence in general.

Why high expectations?

The idea is that by communicating high expectations, you influence the behavior of those you communicate with by strengthening coping skills. This then improves the behavior and performance of those you influence. This is also a self-reinforcing circular process where the communication of expectations leads to better performance and new and even higher expectations. In this way, the effect of Pygmalion leadership is gradually amplified.

Mastery can be linked to three factors: The first factor is linked to an inner confidence that I have what it takes: “I can master my tasks!”

Secondly, it is about me believing that the means I have available are sufficient to do what I need to do.

Third, mastery relates to a belief that the forces in the environment support what I want to do to a greater extent than they hinder it.

We must communicate high expectations to our employees. It is biblical.

Mastery from God

When communicating high expectations to employees, it is important to address all of these elements of our coping ability. Put differently, you need to create expectations that give employees faith that they can, that the tools – even if limited – are sufficient, and that the environment – if it resists – we are able to cope with them.

So what does this mean in a church context?

First, there is something Christian about this way of thinking. We have what it takes to build the church and serve in the kingdom of God. Each individual’s equipment and gifts are sufficient.

The human and spiritual means we have been given are also more than enough. We have understanding, we have acquired and developed skills, we have received power from heaven, and our work in the kingdom of God is sufficient for more and more people to become disciples, for churches to grow, and for God’s goodness to prevail even in the face of opposition from our surroundings.

In fulfillment

It is not irresponsible to communicate and create high expectations among employees. We must not let fear of expectations pressure us to disregard tools that we know with a fair amount of certainty create greater coping skills.

Most of us have a great deal of untapped potential that can be unleashed if we believe in the possibility. Of course, we must prevent the feeling of mastery from becoming so great that it turns into arrogance and overconfidence, but that is largely not the problem. We must communicate high expectations to our employees. It is biblical. Then the results of our work will be better. The prophecy becomes self-fulfilling.