This article explains the concept of Self-fulfilling Prophecy and the process of how it works. The theory proposes how others expectations affect our beliefs of ourselves and impacts our behavior. It is the verbal and non-verbal messages and strokes which we receive from significant people in our lives that influence our self-concept and determine our behavior. The article further explores how this concept can be used as a management tool for increasing the confidence and motivation of employees. The article concludes with useful tips to managers on how this concept may be successfully implemented to enhance performance and productivity in organizations.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy "If you dream hard enough, it comes true" is the maxim I strongly believed in as a child. The belief strengthened and I grew older, and I saw it coming true time and again as events, both major and minor, unfurled in my life. It was only through my voracious appetite for reading that I stumbled upon a concept popularly known as "Self-fulfilling" concept. It, then, struck to me that my belief had indeed a very scientific and psychological backing. Self-fulfilling Prophecy, or SFP as it is popularly known, explains how a belief or expectation, whether correct or not, affects the result of a situation or the way a person (or group) will behave, in ways that confirm the expectations. For example, labeling someone a criminal may foster a criminal-like behavior in the person who is being treated like one.

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