Most of my work is in education; helping philanthropies maximize their impact on educational outcomes. An underlying theme is that setting high
expectations for students is the first critical step in improving student achievement. There is a lot of work needed to support the students – appropriate curricular materials, skilled teachers, safe environments, etc., but given the proper supports students invariably rise to the occasion when challenged.
Yet I’m amazed how many organizations don’t similarly set high expectations for their staff then provide appropriate supports for them to perform at high levels. Not setting high expectations (i.e. staff goals), then not providing adequate professional development and coaching means staff’s potential is often stymied. This impacts the organization. We too often communicate lower expectations (not necessarily intentionally) during goal setting and performance reviews which encourage staff to develop only to a plateau and not to their full potential. A consequence of this is that when staff see no more opportunities at their organization they’ll move somewhere else where there is more potential for their growth.
I’ve had some amazing mentors who questioned and challenged me to do more than I thought previously possible and got me over any plateau-type thinking. And, yes, sometimes that meant going to another organization to have the room for advancement. But it started with setting higher personal expectations – prompted by those mentors. Those were learning moments for me as I worked with my hires. I realized the best way for an organization to succeed is to set high expectations and provide the supports so all staff could perform at the highest levels.
