On achievement, self-efficacy and psychological safety.

Self-efficacy is a component of our psychological capital that has a clear link to our actual performance. This is not surprising, given that belief in one's own ability is a fundamental aspect of one's willingness to engage with any given task. To be confronted with a task where our brain signals at high speed that we cannot, that we are terrible at this, that we will perform badly, is to prepare to fail. It is akin to lying down under the guillotine and waiting for our last moment. In short, self-efficacy refers to our confidence in our ability to perform a certain action or accomplish a certain task. When self-efficacy is high, individuals tend to feel more confident and are better able to take on challenging tasks with greater poise and focus. Conversely, when self-efficacy is low, individuals may become insecure, experience performance anxiety, and look for ways to avoid or escape from difficult situations. They may also attempt to find excuses for why the outcome was not as good as they had hoped, particularly when those around them offer criticism.

Self-efficacy tends to grow as individuals learn new skills and gain experience. When individuals succeed in performing various actions and achieve certain outcomes, they tend to gain confidence in their ability to perform these actions and achieve these outcomes. This confidence is strengthened as individuals learn and progress, as evidenced by the observation that the more one learns and the more progress one makes, the more one's belief in one's ability to perform these actions and achieve these outcomes is strengthened. At its most extreme, self-efficacy is demonstrated when an individual is able to perform a feat with such ease that they do not even consciously realise they are doing it. Consider, for example, the feat of tying one's shoelaces or unlocking a door. These were not at all easy before the individual learned them, but they are now performed more or less automatically.

It should then be the easiest thing in the world to strengthen one's self-efficacy and thus develop one's performance. Just expose yourself to challenges that are just above your existing ability, make sure you learn how to deal with these and as soon as this is done, increase the level of difficulty. Yes, in fact, it's not that much harder than that if it were not for the fact that individuals often judge themselves largely on the basis of how they perform, while believing that others also judge them on the basis of what they have achieved. In addition to desiring to believe in our abilities, humans also wish to like themselves and be liked by others. When we have difficulty differentiating between our performance and our likeability, performance development loses its intrinsic value and becomes a means to an end (strengthening or securing our likeability). This reluctance to expose oneself to tasks and challenges where failure is a possibility is problematic. It can result in a lack of willingness to take on new challenges, which in turn can lead to a lack of development. Furthermore, it can result in a lack of self-esteem, as the individual may feel that they themselves as well as others will view them negatively if they fail.

If this causes us to avoid challenges that would facilitate our development or that we accuse and beat ourselves up after half-baked achievements, it is of course of the utmost interest to break this pattern, particularly in environments where our performance is of paramount importance (e.g. in sports). This is where the concept of psychological safety comes into play. In essence, psychological safety can be defined as the perception of being safe in one's social environment without fear of being ostracised, mistreated or disliked. When individuals feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to be themselves, to test their wings and make mistakes, to ask those "stupid" questions and to express their opinions even when they are not exactly the same as others'. In any kind of performance environment, such as a sports team or a work group of any kind, it is beneficial to consider the following questions:

• Can I make mistakes without it having negative consequences for me (e.g., people sigh, I get yelled at, others huff and puff, others laugh at me, etc.)?
• Do I feel genuinely listened to when I speak, even when I express a different opinion?
• Is it okay for me to speak up when I disagree?
• Do I have the courage to inquire about matters that I am uncertain about?
• Am I able to propose ideas and suggestions and perceive them to be received in a positive manner?
• Do I feel secure and at ease with everyone in my group?
• When I have something to be pleased about, do I feel that others are genuinely pleased for me?
• Do I feel that I am able to challenge myself here? Do I feel that I am able to challenge others?

The aforementioned questions can be answered with an unequivocal "yes" when one feels psychologically safe. Conversely, if your responses are more tentative or outright negative, it is an indication that you do not feel secure. This is an environment where it'll be hard for you to improve.

It is recommended that individuals in such environments discuss these concerns with their leaders, managers, teachers, or coaches. If you are in a position of authority and are responsible for leading a group, do you know what your players, employees, students etc. really think? Can you find out and are they confident enough to answer honestly? Think about it.

If you found the content of this article to be of interest, I have written a book on the subject of psychological capital, which you can find here.