REACTION PAPER TO LIVINGSTON’S PYGMALION OF LEADERSHIP by Joel T. Lim

I was surprised that some of the facts being mentioned in this article exactly resemble the reality of my own experiences as a supervisor and as a subordinate. It is worth noting that any individual will be inspired to perform better in his work if he is given a positive treatment and realistic expectation from his manager. In other words, simply believing in potential will create potential.

Maslow hierarchy of needs reminds me that at some point a person will seek to satisfy his need of self-actualization after fulfilling his basic needs. By letting an employee know that he is appreciated is the next big thing a manager can do. When a member is encouraged, feels supported and motivated, they are more likely to believe in their own ability simply because one has conveyed those attributes.

However, questions still appeared in the back of my mind. Can this Pygmalion effect be applied to every team member? The same rules and ways may not apply to the millions of people or may not be effective for them since human beings are too dynamic in nature. Yet, a leader can still influence and drive good performance in all team members if he adopts the correct behaviours and has positive expectations for his team. What if a subordinate has high self-efficacy even if he is a low to an average performer? If a person is egoistic in nature, then he will probably strive hard and do better even if someone underestimate or undermine his capability. If a person will limit his belief in others, then he will simply limit his potential. If the only vision a person has for himself comes from the opinions, perceptions, and expectations of the people around him, then he must have viewed himself in a social mirror.