5 Steps to Improving Your Self-Efficacy

According to Prof. Albert Bandura, a highly cited academic across the globe, a person’s behavior depends on what they expect concerning the outcome of an activity and their self-efficacy. Simply put, the behavior is based on whether an individual believes that they can complete a particular task and whether they think they’ll have positive outcomes.

A person’s level of self-efficacy varies depending on situations. For example, a student may have high levels of efficacy when it comes to a certain subject, but have low levels on another. Therefore, an individual’s self-efficacy for a particular task cannot be used in predicting their self-efficacy for another.

Here are five steps to help you improve your self-efficacy:

1. Understand the Importance of Self-Efficacy

You need to understand why self-efficacy is necessary. There are numerous benefits of having high levels of self-efficacy. One of its major benefits is that you’ll have more confidence when it comes to performing different tasks and when undergoing different situations.

The second benefit is that you’ll have the ability to evaluate your work performance more accurately. With high self-efficacy, a person does not get overly-critical. They can examine themselves more realistically to enable them to pursue their self-improvement goals.

In some cases, you’ll need to take risks for you to succeed in your career. A person with high self-efficacy is always willing to take risks as they understand that the risks are necessary to achieve their career success. Such people do not have a fear of making mistakes.

Due to the willingness to take risks, a person with high self-efficacy levels tends to feel a sense of accomplishment. Even if they experience failure, they still have a sense of accomplishment. This is because they view mistakes as opportunities for self-improvement.

2. Develop a New Skill

Once you have understood the need for high levels of self-efficacy, you should turn your attention to gaining new skills. Why?

When you do the same work all the time, you’ll eventually be boredom. With a new skill, you could work on new and different tasks and projects, keeping your interest levels high.

Additionally, new skills mean a person has more choices in their workplace. You’ll be more versatile to transition into different organizational roles. You could also increase your chances of enjoying better earnings. You can also have a whole new career after learning a new skill.

3. Learn From Other Employees

Even with new skills, you may find other employees who may be more skilled and experienced in a particular field. It’s easy for you to learn additional skills by observing what your colleagues are doing and learning from them.

Observe their successful completion of different tasks to learn how you’ll succeed when performing them. When such people become awarded for exemplary performance and successful completion of projects, other employees tend to model themselves after their behavior.

4. Work in a Conducive Work Environment

Ensure that your workplace has a conducive environment, as this impacts your productivity and self-efficacy levels. Do you have the space you need to do your work? If the working desks are laden with paperwork, you may have difficulties carrying out your tasks.

Research also shows that a lack of adequate personal space in the workplace can result in conflicts between employees, adding to their stress levels. Managers should ensure their staff has ample space both for work and relaxation.

You should be comfortable while working. Some studies show that cleanliness and overall workplace ambiance could affect employees’ performance and mental health. For example, ensure that you work in a place adequate lighting as this may affect how you feel about yourself.

Another measure you can take to improve your working environment is embracing technology. With the right technology in place, you’ll improve communication between different stakeholders, improve cash flow management, and eliminate any challenges you may have in your workplace.

5. Ensure Proper Self-Management

You may have or have had a manager at some point in your career. However, your ability to manage yourself is crucial. Evaluate how disciplined you are, your motivation, and the way your organize your tasks.

Before you make changes in your career, identify your strengths and weaknesses and areas that need improvement. By doing so, you’ll become a better person and have the ability to track your personal and professional progress. Review your work periodically to evaluate whether you achieved your targets.

Self-efficacy affects how much effort a person puts when working on a particular task. If you have high self-efficacy, you’re resilient and persistent in your work regardless of any setbacks.