Raising the bar beyond training

If the last post about Archilochus was about training and goal setting, this one is about raising the bar and setting beliefs about standards.

You might ask what the difference is between goals and expectations.

We might reply that goals are specific and describe the road to getting there, while expectations are the destination.

You’re already delivering solid, deliberate training.

Your skills are sharp, your feedback is precise, and your safety culture is strong.

But the powerful lever you might be underutilising is your expectations.

Archilochus reminds us, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”

So if the training is solid, how can we rise to a higher level of expectation?

The actual ceiling of a learner’s performance is not just how well you train them, but what they believe they’re aiming for and what you expect them to achieve.

That last bit is very important.

It’s about our beliefs about what we want our pupils and ourselves to achieve.

Why expectations matter, even when training is strong

Goals and expectations are both about the future, but they play different roles in motivation, planning, and everyday life.

Understanding how they differ helps you set better plans, communicate more clearly, and avoid needless disappointment.

Goals tend to deal with the lower levels of the GDE.

Expectations tend to address the higher levels of the GDE.

What goals are?

Goals are concrete targets you actively pursue and are things you do for yourself and the pupil.

They describe a desired end state and are typically specific, time-bound, and measurable.

You and your pupil will control goals.

You decide what you want to achieve and map out steps to get there.

Goals organise effort, create direction, and provide a basis for progress tracking.

Goals invite action and elicit planning, skill-building, and resource allocation.

What expectations are?

Expectations are beliefs about how things will unfold in the future and what you want your pupil to achieve.

They describe anticipated outcomes, behaviours, or circumstances.

Expectations often involve others, environments, chance or what might happen post-test.

Expectations shape our attitudes and emotional responses.

If they’re realistic and well-communicated, they help coordinate effort.

If they’re vague or unspoken, they can lead to frustration when reality diverges.

Expectations are largely about anticipation and perception.

They color how you interpret events and interact with others.

We as people rise to other people’s expectations of ourselves.

We want our pupils to rise to our expectations of them.

Key differences, side by side

Control:

  • Goals are primarily within your control; you set and pursue them
  • For example, aiming to pass a driving test by the end of the year
  • Expectations are often not fully in your control; they are a belief that you can pass your driving test by driving safely

Clarity:

  • Goals are explicit targets you can measure
  • For example, learning to turn right at a road junction safely
  • Expectations are sometimes implicit beliefs about the future that may go unspoken
  • For example, believing that good driving is about consideration for others

Purpose:

  • Goals mobilise action and planning
  • For example, learning how to deal with spiral roundabouts
  • Expectations shape comfort, patience, and readiness for different outcomes
  • For example, being able to deal safely and comfortably with all roundabouts

Emotional impact:

  • Achieving a goal yields clear satisfaction
  • For example, passing your driving test
  • Unmet expectations can cause disappointment
  • Met expectations validates both yours and your pupils’ self-worth

Where they intersect

They influence each other:

  • A goal creates a framework that helps manage expectations
  • Conversely, existing expectations about others or processes can shape the difficulty and phrasing of your goals
  • Think here about situations that you see on the road with your pupil and use that to create safe expectations
  • “Was it safe?” and “How would you have handled that?”

They can become misaligned:

  • If your expectations about your pupils’ responsiveness are too optimistic, you may miss milestones despite having a solid goal

Practical guidance for using both well

Separate planning from expectation-setting:

  • Write down your goal clearly first, then list the key expectations you have about others, resources, and timelines
  • See our post on Learning Contracts

Make expectations explicit:

  • “I aim beyond the driving test, and we will cover all the National Syllabus with you as far as I am able ”
  • Clear communication prevents resentment.

Reframe expectations as probabilistic:

  • Give your pupil realistic assessments that deal with real-life driving
  • Seek to replace luck with skill
  • Remember that your pupil should be able to deal with situations rather than places
  • The practice of safe judgment should become the real skill in driving, as it is in life

Build feedback loops:

  • Regular check-ins align reality with both goals and expectations, allowing you to adjust promptly
  • Talk to and listen to your pupil
  • You both need to be pulling in the same direction with the same amount of effort
  • Ask for feedback on how you’re doing for them

Plan for contingencies:

  • What if that car signalling left to turn has left its indicator on and is not turning
  • This is your chance to shine on a Part 3 or a Standards Check
  • Ask the “What if” and “How would you handle it?”
  • Use a bit of driving theory, for example, “What does the Highway Code say about this?”

Bottom line

Goals are the targets you pursue.

Expectations are the beliefs you have.

Both shape behaviour and outcomes.

We meet and achieve goals, but we strive for expectations both of ourselves and others

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