November, 2006 Issue

Breaking Free

a monthly newsletter from Break Free Consulting
online @ http://www.breakfreeconsulting.com/Newsletters/Expectations.htm

The Power of Expectations

Power can be good or bad. The electric power that keeps a person alive on a respirator can also provide the necessary voltage to an electric chair. The same can be said for the power of expectations.

• How do you feel when you fall short of expectations?

• Have you ever been hindered by procrastination or fear?

• Have you failed to act because you might not be able to live up to expectations?

This power or expectation has the potential to propel us forward as well as the potential to hold us back.

Let's look at the different effects of the power of expectations...

Expectations are mental constructs or ideas that our mind creates about how things should be now and in the future. These ideas can be very vivid images on the canvas of our minds... so vivid, in fact, that our minds do not know the difference between the imagined expectation and reality.

We've probably all heard that we should imagine ourselves having what we want... the big house, expensive car, debt-free life of luxury... and that our mind would be attracted to the things that it imagines or expects. Right?

Well, recent studies in cognitive neuroscience¹ - you know where they hook electrodes up to your head and measure the brainwaves created when you think about different things - show that depending upon what you expect or imagine, your expectations may actually be hindering or sabotaging your efforts.

If you'd like the scientific explanation, read the next section... otherwise, skip to the last Solutions section.

Human brains have evolved a strong capacity to detect what neuroscientists call “errors”: perceived differences between expectation and reality. When a human being is promised a sweet-tasting treat and then discovers it tastes bitter, the brain emits strong signals that use a lot of energy, showing up in imaging technology as dramatic bursts of light.

These error signals are generated by a part of the brain called the orbital frontal cortex. Located above the eyeballs, it is closely connected to the brain's fear circuitry, which resides in a structure called the amygdala. (The amygdala is the source of the "amygdala hijack," the sudden and overwhelming fear or anger response described in layman’s terms by Daniel Goleman in his popular book "Emotional Intelligence".)

The amygdala and the orbital frontal cortex are among the oldest, most primitive parts of the mammal brain, remnants of evolutionary history. When these parts of the brain are activated, they draw a great deal of metabolic energy away from the prefrontal region, which promotes and supports higher intellectual functions. The prefrontal region is particularly well developed in humans, and doesn't exist at all below the higher primates.

Error detection signals from unmet expectations can push people to become emotional and to act more impulsively: Animal instincts take over.

We've been taught by some 'experts' to focus our thoughts and vividly imagine the prize... standing on the Gold Medal podium and hearing our national anthem. But we have to be careful with that advice. When we don't quite measure up to that expectation, the error processing parts of our brain are engaged and negative consequences can occur.

People with obsessive/compulsive disorder (OCD) have error detection circuits that have gone into overdrive. Their orbital frontal cortex sends a constant, incorrect message that something is wrong ("My hands are dirty"). The individual knows, on one level, that the message is incorrect. But the alarm is so compelling, it’s hard to resist trying to fix the situation ("I must wash my hands"), so the person keeps trying to fix it.

This type of impulsive behavior can be triggered when expectations are not met in actuality.

So, what if you and your team instead 'practiced', envisioned and vividly imagined performing each of the steps necessary to get to the Gold Medal podium?

Just as an athlete is taught to play the game in their mind (focusing on the game/process and not the scoreboard/outcome), when you actually do the work, your mind will have already 'performed' the tasks a number of times. Instead of engaging the energy sapping error processor, you will be engaging the habit center (basal ganglia) thereby performing your tasks at a lower energy level, at a lower stress level, than previously performed. This will allow you to use your brain's energy for thought processing instead of error processing.

Give it a try! Focus your expectations on the process, the steps that you can control and the outcome will take care of itself. The studies in cognitive neuroscience have shown that this is a more effective way to work and lead.

Until next time... Use your creativity and imagination to concentrate on the process - your course of action (instead of your results).

(¹The Neuroscience of Leadership by David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz, Strategy+Business magazine. Click here for the pdf file.)