This month's tip will take this concept one step further, and discuss behaviors of a manager who is able to effectively use the self-fulfilling prophecy. Establish beliefs and clearly communicate expectations. In order to use beliefs and expectations in a helpful way, it is important that you are aware of what your beliefs are. Beliefs about employees, organizational structure, job duties and other things influence performance. In order to make sure that you are not unconsciously communicating something that you don't want to employees, it is necessary to examine beliefs and to decide if they are accurate and helpful.
Expectations are a natural outgrowth of beliefs.
Once you have established your beliefs, set concrete expectations, and communicate them to your subordinates. Self-fulfilling prophecy is not magic, and it does not work overnight. It is only one part of good management, and it must be integrated with other aspects. However, it can truly make a difference if it is consistently and persistently used by managers. Performance, like anything else in life, will improve as more attention and energy are focused on it.