How confident do you feel as a leader? How about those you lead? How confident are they?
When we talk about confidence, it’s helpful to take a look at the excellent work of Albert Bandura and his theory of self-efficacy; how a person’s belief in their capabilities to exercise control over their own functioning and events in their lives impact how they function.
This belief is derived from 4 zones:
Performance – outcomes and past experiences
Vicarious experiences – modelling by others
Physiological feedback – emotional status
Verbal persuasion – coaching and feedback
In this brief post, we will share a few ideas to get you started on supporting yourself or others to develop greater self-efficacy.
Performance – outcomes and past experiences
Write out the last ten years of your life experiences, and regardless of ups and downs, take the strengths and the learning progress that has been made in that time.
Vicarious experiences – modelling by others
Choose a role model who has something in common with how you view yourself and someone you have a degree of awe about their achievements.
How can you use this knowledge that they have achieved something great and that if the power is within them, then you too have the potential for such power to fuel you?
Physiological feedback – emotional status
Much of our emotional status is derived from our self-talk and how we see ourselves, especially in relation to a certain situation. We have produced a short video on Dr. Albert Ellis’ ABCDE model to challenge unhelpful thoughts. Why not consider how you can apply this to any negative self-talk you experience or use it to support a coaching conversation with one of your upcoming leaders?
Verbal persuasion – coaching and feedback
People like to know when they are doing a good job; it naturally helps them develop a sense of self-belief and confidence. This feedback needs to be from people who genuinely respect and need to be delivered authentically with real examples.
If you as a leader are coaching others, ask a couple of questions such as: ‘What feedback makes you proud in your role?” or “Tell me about some challenges that you’ve had to overcome for which others have acknowledged you?”
If you are a leader who is still working on this, or you are leading future talent, why not deploy some of these strategies today? Need a bit of help?
Many leaders face self-efficacy challenges, and in the safe haven of coaching, they work through exercises and activities designed to support this area of growth and development.
When you’re ready, drop us a line at zoe@theleadershipcoaches.co.uk or give us a call on 03450 950 480, and we’ll help you and your leaders get started.
