The Pygmalion Effect and Your Business
“Remember, our conduct is influenced not by our experience but by our expectations”
– George Bernard Shaw
In mythology, Pygmalion was a sculptor who carved a statue of a beautiful maiden, fell in love with it and brought it to life with a kiss.
In literature, George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion”, Henry Higgins, transformed the Cockney-voiced flower girl Eliza into a lady by refining her speech and teaching her proper manners.
In psychology this metamorphosis is called the ‘Pygmalion effect.’ It proves that the greater the expectation we place on people, the better they perform. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
As business owners, we have the ability to be Pygmalions, and transform both employee and customer experiences to new levels of excellence.
How our own actions are interpreted by others plays an important role. Take Higgins for example. While he was clearly in awe of his creation, his own manners left something to be desired. When Eliza walked out because she felt mistreated, he couldn’t understand it. After all, his manners were the same as Pickering’s. Not true, says Eliza. ‘He treats a flower girl as if she was a duchess. To which Higgins replies, ‘And I treat a duchess as if she was a flower girl.’
He believed, “The great secret … is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls.”
He got the first part all wrong. The manners we bring to our business create a perception of us both as a business and as a brand. Only good manners show our grace. Bad manners undermine our very foundations.
At the same time, he got the second part right: ‘having the same manners for all human souls’ is key to having a trusted business. Value employees and customers equally. Use yourself as a gauge and always treat others as you would want to be treated. When people feel you don’t value them, they lose faith in you.
So how can we demonstrate trust to our employees and customers? Consistently deliver value to both by delivering what really matters, time and after time, after time. It’s not always the product or the paycheck. Both employees and customers have the option of going elsewhere that’s either closer to home or where they can get a better deal. They chose you; so the responsibility is yours to create relationships that feed off each other, inspiring the type of trust and goodwill that will in turn help your business flourish. Here are a few suggestions:
- Be connected. Both employees and customers appreciate being part of your efforts. It shows you care about them. Know your people by name. Remember things they’ve shared and ask about them. If you bring in a new gizmo why not ask for thoughts and opinions? Why not ask, how can we do better?
- Be visible Don’t sit around waiting for staff or customers to come to you. Walk around. Look at the dynamic around you. Are you happy with what you see? If not, what’s missing? Walk up to people. Listen more. The famous Chef Paul Bocuse used to come out of his kitchen several times during each seating. With Chef’s cap on his head he walk from table to table, thanking people for their patronage and asking for feedback. How could he improve?
- Be transparent. We live in a personal age. Be honest and open, because it’s better coming from you than from Google.
- Be respectful. If people are waiting – whether it’s a customer or an employee – thank them; and if you have one of those awful automatic response units that tells people who have been waiting an eternity to speak to someone that you a appreciate their patience, get a grip. Get yourself a new message that offers the option of leaving phone number so they don’t have to grow old hanging onto the phone. Just be sure to call them back promptly.
- Be dependable. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver in the specified timeframe.
- Be consistent. Make reliability your middle name. Show everyone what they can expect from you, and keep your promises every time.
The bottom line is that putting your best foot forward by treating everyone with equal respect works to creating a winning environment for all. Be a problem solver, and not a trouble maker.
Lead by example. Be a role model to your staff. They will treat your customers as you treat them. Help your staff and your customers get the results they need to meet and exceed their goals and expectations, and you will exceed your goals and expectations.