Whether you believe it or not, it's probably true

A phrase I use with leaders, teams & coaching clients.

Psychologist Albert Bandura (1977) called it self-efficacy. Self being an obvious word, & efficacy from the Latin efficere: to accomplish or bring about.

So, self efficacy is your deep seated belief that you can achieve something.

To be clear it's not about skills. You may have those, but someone with low self efficacy still won't 'believe' it.

Let's say, oh I don't know, you decide to start your own business. Research has consistently found a positive relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy & business performance i.e. believing you can be a successful entrepreneur matters.

Skills matter too of course, but belief comes first.

Organisational Change & Belief

Now let's extrapolate that out to organisational change.

Whether your organisation believes it can change also matters & we see evidence of this also.

Yet we often start with phrases like 'I should…' and 'I have to…'

And maybe you should. Maybe you DO have to.

Organisations do the same thing. 'We must adapt to survive in an AI-enabled world.' 'We must utilise data to become more effective & efficient.'

But, have you asked the question:

What do I/we believe?

And if the answer is 'I don't think I/we can' then question:

• What's the evidence?
• What's telling you that?
• What from your history is convincing you that success isn't possible?

Bandura's 4 Sources of Self Efficacy

Bandura identified 4 sources of self efficacy &, in my experience, they apply just as well to organisations as they do to individuals.

1. Mastery Experiences

Look at your evidence:

• Where have you, as an individual or organisation, successfully done something difficult before?
• We all learned to walk, talk, cook, study, lead, solve problems & recover from setbacks.
• Organisations have launched products, survived crises, entered new markets & reinvented themselves many times.

Look for the evidence that you can learn & adapt because you've already done it.

2. Role Models & Inspiration

Find people or organisations who have achieved something similar.

Not to copy them (although there is value in sharing best practice) but to remind your belief system that if someone like you can do it, you can too.

3. Language Matters

Watch your language

• Those intrusive thoughts & limiting beliefs creep into organisations & individuals alike
• Notice them
• Challenge them
• Look for evidence
• Replace 'if I do this' with 'when'
• Surround yourself with people who believe too. Belief creates belief

4. Pay Attention to Your State

Are you calm? Anxious? Excited? Overwhelmed?

• Notice it
• Think about your thinking
• Psychologists call this metacognition

When we become aware of what we're thinking & feeling, we gain choice over how we respond. This can have a profound impact on confidence, behaviour & performance.

So next time you, your team or your organisation are wondering whether something is possible, remember: Whether you believe you can do it or not, it's probably true!