In one of my earlier columns, "When Believing It So Makes It So," I suggested that if you hold clear high expectations for your people they may automatically rise meet those expectations. However, I might have added that when you urge employees on to greater achievement, how you urge them is as important as what exactly you urge. Great expectations can easily go awry if they're not communicated the right way. Here are a few tips for doing it right.

Declare very high expectations. Sometimes seemingly impossible goals are the most likely to be met. Ordinary expectations can be self-defeating because people realize such goals won't be hard to accomplish, so they don't try very hard. Thus you should set goals that will at first provoke the response that they can never be attained. Be clear that you are expecting something truly out of the ordinary. As you declare and continually reinforce what you're hoping for, those from whom you're desiring it will start working toward it with such a focused effort that the ball should quickly start rolling toward the goal.

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