What can influence followers’ performance through a self-fulfilling prophecy?

The concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy refers to the idea that a person's beliefs or expectations about another individual can influence that individual's performance in such a way that the expectations become reality. In the context of leadership and follower performance, a leader's expectations regarding goal accomplishment play a significant role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of their followers.

When leaders have high expectations for their followers' potential to achieve specific goals, they often communicate this belief through their words, actions, and overall attitudes. As a result, followers may feel more motivated and confident in their abilities to meet these expectations, ultimately leading to enhanced performance. This positive feedback loop reinforces the leader's initial expectations, further driving the success of the followers in achieving those goals.

In contrast, if leaders set low expectations, followers might internalize these beliefs and perform to a lesser degree, thereby confirming the leader's initial negative assumptions. Thus, the leaders' expectations about goal accomplishment are pivotal in influencing follower performance, making it the correct choice in this context.