Expectations

All research supports the belief that a coach’s expectations will influence his treatment of individual athletes. His behavior toward the individual will often differ according to his evaluation of the athletes ability.
The coach’s manner of treatment for each athlete will affect the athlete’s performance, his ability to learn, and his rate of learning.
The coach’s different manner of communicating with athletes of differing ability will indicate to them his view of their competence. The indication will affect the athlete’s self-concept, motivation, and self-trust, which will all impact on performance. The result will be that the athletes who are evaluated to be superior and communicated with accordingly will behave and perform in such a way as to reinforce the coach’s positive expectation.
The same will be true of those who are thought to be inferior performers and for whom the coach has limited or negative expectations.
The greatest can rise above the limited expectations of their teachers and coaches. But they are, by far, the exceptions to the rule. And if you are considering the use of “you ain’t nothing” as a provocative motivational challenge, first recall the goose and the gander tale, so as to be reminded that what might make one athlete might just as easily break another.

--Adapted from Coaching the Mental Game by H.A. Dorfman

The Team Leadership Report