Your Trajectory Code: How to Change Your Decisions, Actions, and Directions, to Become Part of the Top 1% High Achievers

Chapter 13The Power of Low Expectations

This chapter title may have caused you to scratch your head a bit. However, this doesn't mean setting the trajectory line low as a strategy to set someone up for success. Rather, it addresses the damaging degradation of returns on investment from allowing the performance bar to be set low and celebrated.

In the face of demoralizing energy, being penalized for achieving trajectory greatness, or recognizing that those around you are being rewarded for minimal accomplishments, people will begin to recalibrate their performance trajectory downward. When individuals realize they can reduce their output and benefit at the same time, it can become human nature to calibrate downward their participation and behavior while getting the big rewards. When individuals and groups create a trajectory of high expectations and low participation, this becomes manifested when no one holds them accountable but the payoffs keep coming. If the payoff for minimal performance is granted or, even worse, if payoffs are awarded for low to no performance, that performance will be repeated.

Once this takes root, the power of low expectations sets in. You start looking for statistical data to actually support reasons for the downward trajectory as both acceptable and not the fault or responsibility of the low performers. Then you will recognize that the lack of personal accountability feeds this trend, which then becomes an addiction that drives the key influencers ...