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Building Confidence and Whole Leadership

Two people talking on zoomIn the fourth episode of the Reell Insights Series in September 2024, Jennifer Butler, P.h.D and Director of Multicultural Life at Augsburg University shared concepts about self-efficacy and how it supports leadership.

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to perform and achieve goals. It is a critical component in personal and professional growth because it determines how much effort people will put into their work and how they will handle challenges.

What is Self-Efficacy?

Self-efficacy implies believing in one’s ability to complete tasks and successfully reach goals. It helps build confidence and keeps people motivated toward success.

Psychologist Albert Bandura named four ways a person can develop self-efficacy:

  1. Mastery of Experience: The confidence that develops from success in performing tasks.
  2. Vicarious Experience: Vicarious experiences are seeing others, especially people like you, succeed which encourages one to believe one can succeed too.
  3. Social Persuasion: Positive feedback and encouragement from others that build up your confidence.
  4. Emotional and Physical Condition: Managing stress and emotional pressure to maintain a positive outlook.

Connecting to Whole Leadership

Seeing Things Whole is about appreciating and supporting the wholeness of people, beyond their abilities. Within a leadership context, that translates into:

  • Celebrating success: Showing support and appreciation for small victories while building confidence.
  • Learning from others: If the shared stories are about success, the purpose is to inspire others through storytelling.
  • Building support: The encouragement and reminiscing of people about their strengths through positive feedback.
  • Managing well-being: Ensuring that people feel supported emotionally, which typically helps them stay motivated and confident.

Leadership That Supports Growth

The leadership philosophy Butler tries to instill in her team and students focus on building confidence through self-efficacy. She believes in:

  • Hearing people out: giving space to her team, expressing feelings, and allowing their solutions.
  • Appreciation of growth: Celebrating small and big achievements to remind people of their capabilities.
  • Instilling autonomy: Truly supporting autonomy in her team by giving ownership and helping to build skills.

Conclusion

Self-efficacy is not just about successful experiences; rather, it’s the building of a culture whereby those in it can exude confidence. In helping teams and students grow toward reaching their full potential, leaders like Jennifer Butler foster an environment that supports the whole person. Only through this type of strategy will organizations become stronger, leaders even better, and society at large benefit.