Positive Expectancy

The following experiment was performed in a San Francisco Bay area school by Dr. Robert Rosenthal of Harvard University.

At the beginning of the school year, the principal called three teachers into his office.

And to these teachers he said, "As a result of your teaching excellence over the last three or four years, we have come to the conclusion that you are the best teachers in this school.

"And as a special reward to you, we have identified three classes each with thirty of the brightest students in this school—the students with the highest I.Q.'s And we're going to assign them to you to teach for the entire year.

"Now, we don't want to be accused of discrimination so it's very important that you do not tell these children in any way that that you know that they've been selected for a screened class. And second of all, we're not going to tell their parents, because we don't want to cause any difficulties there.

'I expect you to teach exactly the same way you normally do and use exactly the same curriculum, and I expect you to get very good results with these students."

The results: At the end of the school year, these students led not only the school, but the entire school district in academic accomplishment.

Calling the three teachers into his office, the principal said:

"Well, you've had a very good year."

"Yes we have... it was so easy," replied the teachers, "These children were so easy to teach. They were so eager to learn, it was such a pleasure to teach them."

"Well, maybe I'd better tell you the truth" said the school principal.

"This has been an experiment, and those ninety children were chosen out of the school population at random. When I assigned them to your class at the beginning of the year, I had no idea what their I.Q.'s were at all."

"That's incredible!" exclaimed the teachers. "But how could it be that they scored so highly? They did so well. They got such good grades. Ah hah! Yes! It must be because we are such excellent teachers."

At which the principal said, "and to think I should also tell you the other side of the experiment. At the beginning of the school year, we put all the teachers' names in a hat, and yours were the first three names that were drawn."

These average students did so well because of the Law of Positive Expectancy. This law states that you achieve what you expect to achieve and what others expect you to achieve.

Since the principal expected a lot, so did the teachers. And, sensing that the teachers expected a lot, the students did too. Dr. Rosenthal repeated this experiment 300 times — each time getting identical results.

"To achieve more, you have to expect more. And, to get more from the people who work for you, expect more from them." It really is that simple. But the opposite is also true.

That's why so many bright and capable people never perform up to their abilities. For too long, they've been dumped on by people around them — destroying their self-confidence:

"If you expect to fail, you will fail — saying, 'See, I never win... the cards are stacked against me.' Even if by chance you happen to succeed, you'll say, It was a fluke... it'll never happen again.' People are failures because deep down they see themselves as failures. We all achieve what we expect to achieve."

I know what you're thinking. Yes, it is hard to accept that simply imagining a "positive outcome" can overcome all obstacles — but it's true.

You see, most of your obstacles are only in your mind. Giving up before you start, or quitting short of reaching your goal never ever gets you the life you really want. It's a fact that, 'positive people' always get the life they want. Instead of seeing obstacles, they've learned to turn them into exciting challenges and opportunities.

Speaking of obstacles, one of the most remarkable stories I've heard is the one about how Colonel Sanders introduced the world to Kentucky Fried Chicken:

While hundreds of people have delicious recipes for chicken, Colonel Sanders was convinced he could make money from his recipe. At the age of 65, he decided to do something with it.

He walked into a restaurant and told the owner that he would gladly give him his secret recipe for nothing if he would share the profits. A quick no was all he got.

Now, if Colonel Sanders 'expected' failure, he would've quit right then and there, saying to himself, "Well...it was worth a try."

While that's what many do, not Colonel Sanders. Focusing on a positive outcome, he marched right into the next restaurant...and, just as quickly, got his second rejection.

Before I tell you how many rejections he heard let me ask you this. How many could you handle — 5 ...10... 50...100? Do you have what it takes to become optimistic after 500 people have looked you straight in the eye and said, "NO"? Could you keep on going after hearing 1000 NO's?

Colonel Sanders could! In fact he continued, undaunted, until person number 1,009 finally said, "YES". That's correct; 1,008 people said NO.

Amazing, isn't it?

What about you? I know you've got dreams and goals and hopes and plans and desires. But will you achieve them?

Unfortunately, the odds are against you.

Not because you're incapable. I'm sure you're quite capable. It's because you may still believe that you can't achieve your goals without a lot of hardship.

For too long, you may have been struggling with a hit or miss approach to your life — reacting to what life hands you, instead of taking charge of your circumstances. How long will you settle for having less than what you should have — being satisfied with living a life that's just "O.K"—when it should be "GREAT"?

You know you have what it takes. Just as a high performance car can spin its wheels and go nowhere, many bright people waste their lives in the same way. I get so angry when I think of how many bright people I see who are down on themselves.

Down on their lives. Down on the people in their lives. Down on their future. Down on simply everything. Sure, there's lots that isn't as we like, but unless you know what to do about those things that affect you, you'll always be a victim of them — them controlling you, instead of you in charge.

Like many talented people, maybe you've become comfortable in your routine and are reluctant to change.

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Dr. Robert Rosenthal (formerly of Harvard University) has research interests including self-fulfilling prophecies, and the Pygmalion Effect: the effect of teachers' expectations on students.

Related book: Pygmalion in the Classroom: Teacher Expectation and Pupils' Intellectual Development - by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson

Related article: The Pygmalion Effect

 

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