The Role of the Leader in Enhancing Efficacy

For leaders to build the individual’s and the team’s collective efficacy it is a compelling case given the potential outcomes and the impact.

In terms of strategies and approaches:

1. Start spending more time coaching and developing people particularly with those who maybe be struggling.
2. Celebrate the individual’s and team success more frequently and in a timely manner. At times when you are coaching someone, they try to push away the compliment with “It was a team effort.” This may well be true however your response should be, “Let’s talk about your role in the team’s improved safety performance.”
3. Role Model the behaviours that you want to see in others. They will be no more apparent than when the pressure is on, or a minor crisis has occurred this is when people will be really looking at you to assess your true default position. Watch you verbal and body language and your emphasis should be on what can we do to fix this rather than who is at fault.
4. Use your network. Invite people to attend the Executive Safety meeting or to have lunch with a people who have expertise in their area.
5. Affirm at the end of each meeting. ‘I know this is a big challenge but when you look at what we have accomplished in the last few months we can do this.” You are expressing your faith and confidence in them.
6. Enable individuals and teams if they can set their own targets, to at least be involved in setting part of their goals.

More specifically when you are coaching for efficacy, either individuals or teams and they have had a success that took some effort or have successfully integrated a new safety platform into the flow that was an accomplishment take them through that success so in a sense, they are not only reliving that accomplishment but also affirming the qualities they exhibited of persistence etc. So, you should pose the following questions:

• “What did you do?”
• “What roadblocks did you encounter? Why didn’t you give up?”
• “When did you know, you were going to break through? What setback didn’t you see coming?”
• “What did you learn from the experience? What did you learn about yourself?”
• “How can you better help others now?”

After they have assimilated their successful accomplishment, the next challenge will be approached more confidently. Further when people attend safety training if there is any follow up it tends to be casual around the coffee urn, “Did you enjoy the training?” “Sure.” “That’s great.”

What would be better is:

• “What did you learn?”
• “When will you be able to apply it? In what circumstances?”
• “What can I do to support you?”

Too often we miss the chance to reinforce the importance of the training but if you do follow it up people realise that it was important, and they have provided you with reasons why it is important – all building their sense of efficacy and mastery.

If you want to assess whether you are building the teams efficacy, to what extent are you:

1. Expressing interest in the learning experience of your staff?
2. Making yourself available as a sounding board?
3. Leaving your staff feeling appreciated and ‘worth more’ after spending time with you?
4. Ensuring that staff feel safe and supported when they make a mistake?
5. Providing each staff member with rewards that they value?

Ultimately though, it is your belief in the team members and the team’s ability to construct a better, safer work environment that will be the overriding factor in the development of their efficacy. For all that you ought not neglect your own efficacy – can you affect the changes you want, influence and lead the people you want to and cause that which you want to? Best be growing your own efficacy as a leader. You are not a finished product either.

Footnotes:
“Personal efficacy (not only) improves personal management of taxing work demands…(efficacious people) are inclined to take actions to improve their work situation which reduces depression and health problems that accompany a lack of control.” (Bandura p.311)
Another way of looking at efficacy is the motto you find plastered to sporting clubroom walls,” Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

Steven Ball | Leadership & Team Development

With over 30 years of experience working with more than 200 organisations, and over 30,000 people in seven different countries, Steven Ball excels in facilitating to all areas of an organisation, from Hi-Vis staff to Executive teams and one on one coaching senior leaders. Steven has delivered the Pacific Institute program “Investment in Leadership Excellence” over 300 times and in seven countries and has facilitated Leading Self and Others to over 500 senior leaders. If you would like to read more about Steven and his workshops on Essemy, click this link.