Strengthen and develop self-confidence
In the modern (working) world, where algorithms now define our employability, many new challenges are given. It would be good to be able to develop in this way - so that we can remain attractive and spirited workers and successfully master our lives. A checklist.
Being able to put "failure" into perspective and rationalize it is important for any self-confidence.
How self-confidently and confidently people tackle new tasks often has little to do with their real abilities. Time and again, we see that people who are actually predestined to solve certain tasks lose their courage when they "see" them. Others, on the other hand, of whom one thinks, "He still has a lot to learn," go courageously to work. This shows: How we react to challenges depends strongly on our subjective certainty: "Somehow I will be able to solve the task. Even if I don't yet know how."
Self-efficacy: a new key competence
In our modern, change-driven world, we are increasingly faced with new challenges - both professionally and privately. So dealing with them adequately is becoming a key competence. Human resources managers in companies have also recognized this. In recent years, they have debated this topic intensively under the heading of "employability" and have come to the conclusion that, in the future, employees in our companies will increasingly need to possess the following qualities:
- Self-efficacy: a new key competence
- Ability to self-reflect,
- Openness to new ideas and problem solving,
- Ability to handle unfamiliar situations,
- Ability and willingness to learn. And:
- Ability to recognize and willingness to take advantage of opportunities.
In a nutshell, this means: Companies increasingly expect their employees to take on and master new challenges; moreover, they expect them to take the initiative and responsibility to acquire the skills they need for their jobs (in the future). Or to put it another way: Employees should be more self-effective.
The energy sources of self-efficacy (checklist)
But how can a person increase his or her self-efficacy? According to research by the Canadian psychologist and learning theorist Albert Bandura, it is primarily fed by the following four sources:
1.) Own experiences in mastering difficult situations: These are very important for the development of self-efficacy. After all, anyone who has repeatedly experienced "I can solve difficult tasks" will have the confidence to do so in the future. So-called "mastery experiences" are of particular importance. They occur when a person masters a task of which he or she did not initially know: How can I solve it?
2.) Learning from models and role models: If a person observes another person 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!" One prerequisite for this is: there must be a certain similarity between the two people. For example, they must have a similar biography or personality structure.
3.) Social and emotional support: People also gain confidence in their abilities through encouraging encouragement - but only if they attribute the competence to judge their skills to the person who encourages them. Also having a positive effect on self-efficacy is the knowledge that "when things get tight, I have supporters" - professional and emotional.
4.) Emotional states and reactions: People infer their abilities from their emotions and physical reactions. For example, if they feel their heart racing when they are faced with a task, they usually immediately think "I can't do this" - often before they have even checked the feasibility. That's why it's important to be able to analyze the causes of your own emotions and physiological reactions. Is the reaction appropriate to the task or is it an initial "startle reaction"?
Increase self-efficacy
Knowing these sources allows us to create learning environments that promote self-efficacy. It is indispensable to regularly set oneself challenges where one initially suspects "this task might be too much for me". For it is through such tasks that we grow.
When attempting to solve such tasks, it makes sense to view them as a project and analyze them first: What subtasks are involved?
In a second step, we can then determine whether the overall task or only individual subtasks make us cringe. Once this is clear, we can investigate why we shy away. For example, because we lack resources and knowledge? Or because we have no experience with this yet? Or because the solution requires us to give up certain habits? Or because conflicts with other people are foreseeable when solving the task?
Once we have determined this, we can create a preliminary action plan and derive sub-goals from the subtasks that need to be achieved on the way to the big goal. In addition, we can organize the necessary support. Important is a point that is unfortunately often forgotten: Since mastering the challenge also serves to increase our self-efficacy, we should also define learning areas in which we would like to increase our competence. Furthermore, we should define criteria how to measure the achievement of the learning goals.
Putting "failure" into perspective
Being able to put "failure" into perspective and rationalize it is important for any self-confidence.
Defining learning objectives has the function that at the end of the project we can determine which new competencies we have acquired and which comparable tasks we can therefore easily master in the future. It also allows us to identify our remaining development needs.
If we proceed in this way when tackling challenging tasks, we enter a learning spiral. It leads to a systematic expansion of our competence. So our ability to master new challenges also increases.
(Summary of a text by Frank Linde and Michael Reichl)
About the authors: Frank Linde and Michael Reichl are the managing directors of im-prove coaching und training GmbH, Lingen (Ems) and Heldenstein (Bavaria), They are recognized consultants of the funding program of the EU and federal government unternehmensWert: Mensch
