Increase self-efficacy
Companies increasingly need employees who are highly motivated to tackle new, complex tasks and learn from the experience gained for the future. This competence must be promoted.
People are different. This is something we experience every day - both professionally and privately. For example, when faced with new challenges, we notice that some women and men immediately think: I can't do that. Accordingly, they approach the task unmotivated and their chances of success are correspondingly low. Others, on the other hand, also initially think: Oh, what a fright. But then: Somehow I'll manage. So they tackle the task with vigor. Usually with success - also because they don't immediately throw in the towel after the first failed attempt.
New key competence: professional and private
Such confidence is becoming increasingly important. Because in our modern world, we are permanently confronted with new challenges. So dealing with them adequately is becoming a key competence. Companies have also recognized this. They increasingly expect their employees to face and master new challenges; furthermore, they expect them to take the initiative in acquiring the skills they will need in their jobs (in the future). Or to put it another way: Your employees should be more self-effective.
According to research by Canadian learning theorist Albert Bandura, who sadly passed away in 2021, our self-efficacy feeds off four sources:
- Own experience: They are very important. Because those who have repeatedly gained the experience "I can solve difficult tasks" also have the confidence to do so with new ones.
- Role models: If one person observes another solving a difficult task, this can also boost his or her self-confidence - true to the maxim: "If this person can do it, so can I!"
- Support: The knowledge that "when things get tight, I have supporters" is also encouraging.
- Reactions and emotions: People infer their abilities from their physical reactions. For example, if they feel their heart racing during a task, they often immediately think: I can't do this. So it's important to be able to analyze: Is my reaction appropriate for the task?
Increase self-efficacy step by step
Anyone who wants to increase their self-efficacy should therefore regularly set themselves challenges where they initially suspect: This task could be too much for me. Because this is where we grow.
It makes sense to view the task as a project and analyze it first: Which subtasks are associated with it? Then we can determine why we shy away from certain subtasks. For example, because we don't have any experience with this yet? Once we have determined this, we can organize the necessary support. In addition, we can derive sub-goals from the subtasks that need to be achieved on the way to the big goal.
Defining subgoals is important in the event that we only partially achieve the project goal. Then, on the basis of the achieved subgoals, we can determine which subtasks we have solved with flying colors and which we have not. We can therefore put our "failure" into perspective. It also allows us to analyze which new skills we have acquired and where there is still a need to learn.
If we proceed in this way when tackling challenging tasks, we enter a learning spiral that leads to a steady expansion of our competence and self-efficacy.
To the author:
Joachim Simon, Braunschweig, is a leadership trainer and speaker specializing in (self-)leadership (www.joachimsimon.info). Among other things, he is the author of the book "Self-responsibility in the company" and co-founder of the (self-)leadership coaching app Mindshine (www.mindshine.app). From him also already appeared this article.
