You can do it - self-efficacy is important for resilience
Self-efficacy is a key part of resilience.
So, what’s your S-E Quotient? Your SE-Q?
Here’s some theory for the nosy part of us all:
Do you know what your Self-Efficacy Quotient is? Well, you should care about it and know generally at what level it is. According to Dr. Albert Bandura, your SE-Q is one of the keys to success.
“Psychologist Albert Bandura has defined self-efficacy as one's belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. One's sense of self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.” –from Wikipedia
Questions like, “Can I change the situation and how can I do it?” are addressed differently by people with high and low SE-Qs. When you are faced with a difficult problem if you SE-Q is sufficient, you will feel able to solve it with your personal resources, or with the help of others you trust. This is a great life skill, necessary for all kinds of success.
Bandura has said that you can make your own test to see how you are doing in this area, but if you don’t have the time and are curious, go here- https://www.excelatlife.com/questionnaires/self-efficacy.htm - this little is just a start, but it might give you a clue as to where you stand.
How can you increase your SE-Q?
· By having small, incremental successes
· By breaking down complex problems into smaller steps or issues
· By learning specific strategies to reach your goals
· By receiving clear and accurate positive feedback
· By watching or hearing about others’ successes, and using peer models
· By the positive verbal support of others, like coaches and friends or colleagues
· By watching your Eeyore levels (staying optimistic, for the rest of you)
· By rewarding yourself when you succeed
But your SE-Q can be undermined
· By receiving praise for a poor performance
· By receiving criticism/fault finding at an early stage of the creative process
· By being verbally convinced of your self-efficacy in areas where this is not true
Can SE-Q be “wrong”?
Yes, sometimes we become over-confident and keep working toward an unreachable goal (this is called the Don Quixote-effect), or we might become too prideful. I will write about pride and humility next.
But, all-in-all, self-efficacy is a way forward for most of us when facing problems and it will help us, as leaders to help our employees and to move forward in a healthy and successful manner.
“Along with goal-setting, self-efficacy is one of the most powerful motivational predictors of how well a person will perform at almost any endeavor.” https://www.slideshare.net/gerdnaydock/how-bandura-would-increase-self-efficacy
I wish you a very high SE-Q week with much success.
Patricia Jehle
