raise the bar
To raise the standards of quality that are expected of or required for something. Since higher education became available to a greater number of people, businesses have increasingly been raising the bar for entry-level employees.
raise the bar
Fig. to make a task a little more difficult. (As with raising the bar in high jumping or pole vaulting.) Just as I was getting accustomed to my job, the manager raised the bar and I had to perform even better.