Self-confidence is sometimes used as a synonym for self-efficacy, which is the belief that one can accomplish one’s goals. However, self-confidence is a more general term. As self-efficacy researcher Albert Bandura states in one of his books: “I can be supremely confident that I will fail…” Therefore, self-confidence has to be looked at in context.…
Read More
Unless you are self-employed, working remotely, and have no employees—and no clients—you are going to interact with other people. The way you interact and the way you feel about yourself in social situations is your social self. Social interaction (defined as love and belonging) is one of the most important basic needs of people, according…
Read More
At the start of the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, the lead croons to his mirror, “I believe in you.” This is the very definition of self-efficacy. Your belief in your own ability to surmount obstacles and achieve success is your self-efficacy, as distinct from self-esteem (overall feeling of worth)…
Read More
You have goals you want to reach. When you self-manage, you use your skills, such as your ability to organize and prioritize, plus your positive attitude to help yourself and your team reach those goals with the fewest setbacks and the minimum amount of fuss and resistance. Building Self-Management Skills You own self-management—for example,…
Read More
As defined by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, emotional intelligence is “the rudder for feeling, thinking, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making” and is related to a person’s ability to judge and control their own emotional reactions. The greater your ability to identify and understand your own and others’ emotions and to regulate your emotional…
Read More
Nick has just lost his job, but he’s optimistic he’ll find a new one; Morgan has just received kudos for her innovation, but is pessimistic about her abilities to ever innovate like that again. The odd thing about optimism and pessimism is that they may bear almost no relation to the actual circumstances of our…
Read More
Most definitions of resiliency stress the ability to bounce back from adversity. Grit and gumption are two of the characteristics often associated with resiliency. Individually and organizationally, this translates to the ability to reach goals despite obstacles. How Important Is Grit in Reaching Your Goals? Grit, or passion and tenacity in reaching your goals,…
Read More
The primary difference between being assertive and being aggressive is the motivation. An assertive person establishes boundaries and states opinions while respecting others. An aggressive person is wants to dominate others, with behaviors that destroy the boundaries of other people and stifles open discussion. Passive people who are the willingness to accept whatever anyone else…
Read More
The route to a stress-free and rewarding career and life depends in great part upon the good habits we foster, including exercise, optimism, healthy eating, and mindfulness. Bad habits, however, are often easier to acquire and harder break: chocolate and cigarettes are so much more immediately satisfying than broccoli. So how do we make good…
Read More
One of the advantages of group problem solving is pulling in experiences, ideas, and strategies from a variety of sources. For that to happen, the group has to achieve a certain level of trust in each other and the ability to communicate clearly. However, assuming the group does trust its members and are able to…
Read More