This paper was prepared for the Multi-State Technical Assistance Collaborative, an MDRC project to assist states in implementing the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) Program established by the Family Support Act of 1988. How do JOBS programs help clients become effective partners in their own self-improvement? The JOBS legislation is silent on this question, and it is largely up to the JOBS managers themselves to figure out the answer. This paper aims to be a resource for program managers attempting to do so. Bardach’s paper begins with an idea validated by research in several fields — namely, that expectations elicit performance. He concludes that most JOBS programs could probably achieve higher productivity if they focused on progress toward a quantifiable set of goals and recognized clients and line workers as the most important “producers” in the organization.