The Power of Expectation... Miraculous?

I remember reading an article in Inc. Magazine about General Schwarzkopf.  When taking over a new command, Schwarzkopf questioned what proportion of the helicopter fleet was ‘battle ready’ on any given day.  “75% Sir!” was the answer.

Wondering why it was 75%, and not 74% or 76%, he put out an edict that, forthwith, the new fleet readiness was to be 85%.  And no doubt there were rumblings within the ranks that it could never be done.



But sure enough, operability MIRACULOUSLY rose to 85%. And stayed there.

The message in this little story? NEVER underestimate the Power of Expectation.

Another of my favourite anecdotes is of a new manager in a factory.  On his first inspection, he enquired of the day shift supervisor what their production totals had been for the day. 

Without any further comment, he took a piece of chalk and wrote that number on the concrete floor and moved on.

You can guess what happened when the night shift came on duty, can’t you?

Yep, they asked what the number was.  Next morning, when the day shift arrived, the number had been rubbed out, and a BIGGER total had been written on the floor!  And so it went each shift, exceeding the previous ‘norm’. 

Interesting isn’t it?  Set expectations low, and that is what you’ll get.  Set them high, and MEASURE the performance standards, and again - that’s what you’ll get.

Benchmarking is the key.  Just verbalising expectations won’t cut it.  Expectations need to be very specific, easily broken down into their components, and attributable back to those involved. 

And as the saying goes, “If you don’t INSPECT, don’t expect!”.

Until next time,

Chris Newton