Psychologically safe floor expectations: Expectations = Floor + Middle + Ceiling

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By Duncan Anderson. To see all blogs click here.

Reading time: 5 mins

Summary: 

  • Setting expectations correctly is very important. When setting expectations, I used to just think about just one expectation (what I call here the ‘middle expectation’).

  • Now: Good expectations = 1. Psychologically safe floor expectation + 2. High middle expectation + 3. Super ambitious ceiling expectation

  • This blog focuses on the importance of a “1. Psychologically safe floor expectation”

  • Jingle: Without psychological safety it can be safe to say a workplace might feel like working with psychos! 

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Details

Background terms:

  • A partial definition of psychological safetfy.

  • I believe you want to have a strong lean towards ‘learned help yourselfness’. 

  • “Whether you belief you can or you can’t, you are right.” Henry Ford. 

  • If you are about to take on a new project at work or try to make progress in an area you have no experience, if you don’t think you can make progress (learned help yourselfness) then it’s normally a big impediment. 

One component Psychological safety = Positive sum floor expectations 

  • Example:

    • If someone is doing something for the first time (AKA a L0) I normally say something like: The (psychologically safe) floor expectation = 1. Long term we expect you to be able to do this in 1 hour, but for this go let’s time box it at 4 hours (4x I’ve found is a reasonable expectation increase) + 2. I don’t mind if you make zero real progress, all I care is that you try (learned help yourselfness). 

    • After the 4 hours let’s check in and see where you are up to. 

  • Comment

    • You want someone to be comfortable trying AKA cultivating the right mindset AKA fostering ‘learned help yourselfness’. 

    • The floor expectations will rise over time. 


Psychological safety ≠ Low expectations 

  • Psychological safety = Key way to make progress = One component of expectations. 

  • Outcomes:

    • Low expectations = Bad

    • High expectations = Good

    • Unrealistic expectations = Bad

  • For me: 

    • I expect people to try. 

    • I expect people to level up. 

    • But I don’t expect people to start off any good at things. 

      • “The first version of everything is sh1t” - Hemingway. 

    • If you are brand new to something, AKA a L0, then I’ll try to have L0 floor expectation. 

    • I’ve found having a ‘psychologically safe floor expectation’ especially for when someone is L0 is key to fostering learned helpyourselfness. 


Outcome = 1. Mindset * 2. Expectations ( 2.1 Psychologically safe floor expectation + 2.2 High middle expectation + 2.3 Super ambitious ceiling expectation)

  • 1. Mindset - I see the left side at net harmful and the right side as net helpful

    • Learned helplessness ⇔ Learned help yourselfness

    • Fixed mindset ⇔ Growth mindset

    • Low resilience ⇔ High resilience 

    • What doesn't kill you makes you weaker ⇔ What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

  • 2. Expectations ( 2.1 Psychologically safe floor expectation + 2.2 High middle expectation + 2.3 Super ambitious ceiling expectation)

    • 2.1 Psychologically safe floor expectation = Level of floor matches the level someone is in a task

      • If you are a L0 then you L0 floor expectations. 

        • The main thing is that for someone new to something make the floor L0. 

        • Then slowly rise over time. The best people rise quickly. 

      • If you are a L10 then you should have L10 floor expectations. 

    •  2.2 High middle expectation

      • On average you should be levelling up each time you do something. 

      • However we all have bad days, so it’s ok occasionally if you don’t level up when you do something (or even do something worse than the previous time). 

    • 2.3 Super ambitious ceiling expectation

      • “With ambition, you tend to get one step below what you aim for. So unless you try to be the best, you won't even be good.” - Paul Graham. 

      • We obviously don’t want to be scared to try, or to give up, but we also definitely don’t want mediocrity. I’ve found having the three levels of expectations and calibrating them vs experience very helpful. 


If you only take away one thing

  • Without a psychologically safe workplace you’ll likely make far less progress. 

  • But I don’t think psychological safety means low expectations, in fact the opposite, I believe a psychological safe floor expectation can allow wildly ambitious ceiling goals (expectations) and properly high middle expectations. 

  • We want to help people to the point they can help themselves, and then eventually help others help themselves!

    • One goal of education is so that you can eventually educate yourself. 

    • One goal of people management is so that you can eventually manage yourself. 

    • One goal of parenting is so that a child can eventually look after themselves, and then eventually raise (parent) others to look after themselves. 

  • I see clearly articulated psychologically safe floor expectations as part of this. 


Addendum: this compliments Energising Expectation: Level of expectations ≈ Amount of new

  • Energising expectations = 1. The amount of ‘new’ is understood at the outset of a project + 2. The expectations hurdle is proportional to the amount of new

  • I now think of this as the 'high middle expectation'. Floor and ceiling are additions.