Tuesday, August 25, 2020

56 - Mastery - Improving your confidence




How can you boost your confidence at work?

More specifically, How can you improve your self-efficacy toward a particular job or task?

Self-efficacy is task-oriented.  

We can be self-confident overall, but still lack confidence for something.  For example, I'm pretty confident about speaking to groups and teaching, but my self-efficacy about making videos was pretty low.  

Until recently, I haven't done much video work.  Getting lighting and angles right, editing software, where and how to post and cross-post on social media just seemed like a lot to learn. 

Keep in mind that low self-efficacy toward a task doesn't mean a fear of doing it, it just means that we have to be more deliberate about doing that kind of work.  It helps when the circumstances force your hand and offer a challenge!

To meet the challenge, you have to find the way to achieve it - you have to define the process.  I’ve been doing videos since the start of July.  Some of the early ones were rough.  My first one was actually sideways.  I'm still not an expert, but I'm on my way.  My self-efficacy is high, even if my skills haven't reached that mastery level.

To build self-efficacy then, the first step is to set a challenge.  Next, build your experience by trying lots of different things to discover the best way for you to do the job.  Then practice, measuring each attempt against your process and your goal.  That repetition and accountability is crucial.

Mastery of the task will make you more confident about the task and that will translate to other tasks.  Start small and build consistently with a series of small successes.  Each time you'll learn something and take one more step toward Mastery.  

Don’t forget, Lean Coffee discussion at noon tomorrow and my webinar on navigating change is Thursday at 2 pm eastern.  I hope I’ll see you then!   -DV





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