How to Build Self-Efficacy of Your Employees: Tips for Managers

Key takeaways:

• Self-efficacy is the belief that you can perform tasks well, overcome any challenges, and successfully achieve your goals.
• Self-efficacy and self-esteem are not the same. Self-efficacy is more about “doing,” while self-esteem refers to the idea of being comfortable and happy with yourself.
• Managers can support their employees’ self-efficacy by giving them constructive feedback, celebrating their accomplishments, and offering additional training.

Self-efficacy is a term that’s been going around a lot lately. It has to do with a person’s confidence and self-belief. As such, it’s extremely important in the workplace. People with high self-efficacy tend to perform better and achieve their goals with greater ease. 

But how can you help your employees build their self-efficacy? In this article, we’re going to dive into what exactly self-efficacy is, how you can measure it, and what the best ways to help your workers increase it are.

What is self-efficacy?

Self-efficacy theory was first proposed by psychologist Albert Bandura. He noticed that some people have a specific trait that helps them succeed in life. 

This trait is what we now call self-efficacy. Simply put, it’s a person’s belief in their own abilities. For example, someone with a high self-efficacy will think that they can overcome difficult challenges, complete complex tasks, and successfully achieve their goals.

An employee with a good amount of self-efficacy may be better at communicating clearly, using verbal persuasion, receiving constructive feedback, and maintaining a positive mindset.

According to Bandura, self-efficacy is a trait that sustains itself. The more a person is determined to face their problems, the more success they see, which then increases their self-efficacy. However, there are also ways you can support your employees in sustaining this important trait.

Why self-efficacy matters in the workplace

There are many reasons why self-efficacy is incredibly important in the workplace. Believing in one’s own ability to perform well is key in many different work situations. Here are just some examples of how this self-belief can improve your employees’ well-being and performance:

1. Better teamwork

While self-efficacy is all about an individual’s belief in themselves, studies show that it can also improve the overall team climate. If a person is confident in their own abilities to navigate work tasks and social situations, they’re likely to be more pleasant to work with, leading to smoother cooperation.

2. More bold moves

Asking for a raise or a promotion, making brave choices, advertising yourself, and standing up for yourself are all actions that require high self-efficacy. 

Individuals who are able to do this are often go-getters and highly motivated workers, which makes them the perfect employees. After all, as a manager, you want the people who work for you to be goal-oriented and ready to grow with your company. 

3. Better job performance

We’ve known that self-efficacy is important in the workplace for many years now. A meta-analysis from 1998 found that there is a strong correlation between self-efficacy and job performance. 

In practice, this means that the more confident your employees are, the more likely they are to perform better at their jobs.

4. More adaptability

Greater self-efficacy can also lead to more adaptability and resilience. When your employees are confident in their abilities, they’re less likely to be thrown off by minor (or even major) setbacks. 

Instead, knowing that they can face any issues that may arise, they’ll be able to quickly adjust and persevere. 

Self-efficacy examples vs. self-esteem examples

Before we dive into some practical advice on how to improve your employees’ self-efficacy, it’s important to clear up one common misconception about this popular term. 

Often, people confuse self-efficacy with self-esteem. However, these terms are not quite the same. There are several key differences that you should be aware of.

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to perform tasks and achieve goals. For example, a manager may be confident that they can conduct a business meeting in English even if they’re not a native speaker.

Self-esteem, on the other hand, refers to a person’s overall self-worth and acceptance of who they are. It’s more about “being” than “doing.”

Even though self-efficacy and self-esteem are separate concepts, in reality, they can sometimes overlap and influence each other. For example, a person with high self-esteem may also have higher self-efficacy. They are confident with who they are, which can translate into a more positive demeanor, leading to better results and a growth in work performance confidence.

However, it is also possible for a person to have only one of these traits. For example, a person with lower self-esteem can still believe in their ability to perform tasks well.

7 strategies how to improve self-efficacy at work

By now, you know that self-efficacy is important in the workplace. But how can you best support your employees and help them enhance their self-efficacy? 

There are several strategies that you could adopt to promote self-efficacy. Here are seven of the most effective ones:

1. Prioritize your employees’ well-being

Mental health is a big topic these days, and there is a reason for that. If your employees are struggling with anxiety, dealing with burnout, or feeling depressed, their natural confidence may decrease. This can lead to lower self-efficacy, too.

However, the opposite can also be true. If your employees are doing well and are feeling energized and happy, they’re more likely to have an overall positive attitude and approach tasks with conviction. The more they do this and are successful, the more their self-efficacy will grow.

As a manager, you can help your employees achieve this by looking out for their mental health. For example, you can try to look out for signs of burnout, emphasize the importance of work-life balance, and even allow for occasional longer breaks or offer extra days off. 

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2. Offer mentorship

Positive role models can make a huge difference in people’s self-efficacy. Establishing a mentorship program or taking someone under your wing yourself could go a long way in building your employees’ confidence.

Everyone has to start from somewhere, and people in more junior roles should get to see that. A good mentor will not only explain how they got to where they currently are, but they will also be vulnerable with their mentee and talk about how they overcame certain obstacles.

Knowing that even the most successful people sometimes stumble on the way up can help increase self-efficacy in your younger employees. They’ll learn that even if they make a mistake, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t up to the task. They can always take a step back, breathe, and try again. This positive mindset will help them perform better over a longer period of time.

3. Offer training and professional development courses

People with high self-efficacy are more likely to believe in their own ability to learn new things. This belief is only made stronger when they can prove it to be correct. This is where you come in as a manager.

Organizing both formal and informal training sessions can be a good way for your employees to grow their self-belief. The training can be on any topic that you deem useful, such as public speaking or best sales strategies.

Another option is to opt for a long-term collaboration with a language provider. Speaking multiple languages is a huge asset in today’s global market, both for employers and their employees. 

By providing free language courses to your workers, you’ll help them increase their self-efficacy while also boosting their work performance and your company’s position in the international market.

4. Celebrate your employees’ successes

One simple thing you can do to improve self-efficacy is to appreciate your employees’ achievements. You don’t have to throw a big office party any time someone successfully finishes a project. However, positive feedback does go a long way, and even something small can have a huge impact on a person’s self-belief.

You could give your employees thank-you cards, post about their achievements on social media, or simply give them a compliment when you next talk to them. These seemingly fleeting moments can do a lot to erase people’s self-doubt and make them feel more ready to face challenging tasks.

5. Help your employees set achievable goals

When someone is overambitious, it can often lead to disappointment. As a result, that person’s self-efficacy may decrease, which is something you’ll want to avoid as a manager. 

If you’re the one responsible for delegating tasks, consider what each person can realistically manage. Challenging your employees a little bit can be good, but don’t try to push them too hard. Assign them projects that aren’t too easy but that are still achievable.

More importantly, don’t forget to give your employees verbal encouragement, too. If they’re working hard, make sure you tell them you see the effort they’ve been putting in. This will make them even more motivated to work on their assignments. And once they successfully finish their work, they’ll feel better about themselves, and their overall job performance will improve.

6. Encourage your employees’ autonomy

Trusting your employees and allowing them to make their own choices is another great way to promote self-efficacy. People feel most confident when they’re able to take ownership of their own work, especially if their own strategy ends up being successful.

There are many ways you could implement this idea. For example, try to avoid micromanaging your employees. Let them set their own schedule, manage their own time, and propose their own solutions.

However, keep in mind that autonomy doesn’t mean leaving your employees without support. Make sure they know that you’re there for them and can help them should they need assistance. Don’t keep looking over their shoulder, but do check in with them and ask them if they have everything they need.

7. Provide constructive feedback

Last but not least, we have to talk about feedback. While positive encouragement is important, you can’t rely on nice words only. Sometimes, you may need to gently correct one of your employees or give them both positive and negative feedback on their presentation.

The key here is not to overdo it one way or another. When you’re giving positive feedback, try not to overstate a person’s success. Similarly, when you’re giving negative feedback, make sure you’re not being too harsh.

Always keep your words constructive and to the point. This is the only way employees can truly improve. They’ll also feel like you’re on their side and are genuinely trying to help them succeed, which can lead to greater self-efficacy, too.

How to measure self-efficacy

You may be wondering if there’s a way for you to measure your employees’ self-efficacy. It would certainly be helpful to know how confident they are in their abilities. This information would let you know where you should put your focus and which aspect of self-efficacy may be missing in your employees.

The good news is that self-efficacy can actually be measured. While it’s not an exact science and relies heavily on self-reports and self-assessment, there is a way to find out one’s level of self-efficacy.

Psychologists have put together several tests and scales that look at self-efficacy. One example of this is the General Self-Efficacy Scale (or the GSE), which has been around for about 30 years.

The GSE asks you to rate 10 statements on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 being “not true at all,” 2 being “hardly true,” 3 being “moderately true,” and 4 being “exactly true.”

These are the 10 statements that the GSE consists of:

1. I can always manage to solve difficult problems if I try hard enough.
2. If someone opposes me, I can find the means and ways to get what I want.
3. It is easy for me to stick to my aims and accomplish my goals.
4. I am confident that I could deal efficiently with unexpected events.
5. Thanks to my resourcefulness, I know how to handle unforeseen situations.
6. I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort.
7. I can remain calm when facing difficulties because I can rely on my coping abilities.
8. When I am confronted with a problem, I can usually find several solutions.
9. If I am in trouble, I can usually think of a solution.
10. I can usually handle whatever comes my way.

The score you get will range from 10 to 40, with 40 being the highest possible self-efficacy score.

The GSE isn’t the only way to measure self-efficacy, though. Another popular test is the New General Self-Efficacy Scale, which tried to improve on the original GSE. 

Those taking the test have to rate eight statements on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neither agree nor disagree; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree). Those eight statements are:

1. I will be able to achieve most of the goals that I set for myself.
2. When facing difficult tasks, I am certain that I will accomplish them.
3. In general, I think that I can obtain outcomes that are important to me.
4. I believe I can succeed at almost any endeavor to which I set my mind.
5. I will be able to successfully overcome many challenges.
6. I am confident that I can perform effectively on many different tasks.
7. Compared to other people, I can do most tasks very well.
8. Even when things are tough, I can perform quite well.

If you’re considering measuring your employees’ self-efficacy, you can ask them to take one of the above tests. If they agree to do so, you could gain valuable insight from the results. Even if each test is done anonymously, you’ll know the overall level of self-efficacy in your workplace and which key areas may need to be addressed first. 

Promote self-efficacy in your employees with Promova

One of the best ways to grow your employees’ self-efficacy is by supporting their professional development. With Promova, you can help your employees learn a new language and become more confident in their day-to-day work and business dealings.

Here’s what you’ll get when you sign up for Promova’s Corporate Language Training course:

• Experienced educators: We only work with the best of the best! All our tutors and teachers are native or near-native speakers with professional teaching experience.
• All-in-one platform: With the Promova app, you can complete quick lessons, track your progress, or sign up for optional tutoring.
• AI tutor: We use technology to help you improve your language skills. With our AI tutor, you can practice your speaking and writing and get instant, personalized feedback.
• Specialized courses: Whether you want to help your employees improve their public speaking skills, master business or medical vocabulary, or learn ASL basics, Promova has you covered.

Get Promova for your team today to help them grow their confidence!

Final thoughts

Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to perform well and achieve goals. It’s an important trait for anyone taking their career seriously. As a manager, you can help support your employees’ self-efficacy by using one or more of the strategies discussed in this article. This won’t just help your employees. It will make your company grow, too.