Description
Confidence is a multidimensional concept. It is the feeling we have when we believe that we will be able to adapt, if necessary, in order to affect a good outcome. In other words, it is a combination of the feeling about whether a specific event will end in a desired outcome as well as what we or others believe we can do to favourably affect that outcome. Note that confidence has an object in that we feel confident about a specific outcome related to a specific event. The belief that you can favourably affect an outcome is called self-efficacy. Unlike self-esteem, (which relates to our beliefs about our self-worth), self-efficacy refers to our beliefs about our ability to achieve specific goals and affect the outcome of specific events.
People often ask; “How do I motivate my team? How do I get the most out of my team in a way that also makes them feel good about themselves?” To answer these questions it is first of all important to understand what we mean by motivation. People often write “I am a highly motivated person” on their CV. This view of motivation views it like an ‘entity’; something you were born with, or not. Seeing motivation as something we (and other people) possess has limitations. A more practical way to interpret motivation is to see it as a process as opposed a possession. With this view of motivation, people are motivated to achieve certain goals if they agree with the ‘what’, the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of those goals. In other words, people are motivated by a purpose they believe to be worthwhile (or more worthwhile than an alternative) and when they feel they are achieving them in the ‘right’ way. This lecture explores the basis and origin of those feelings.