Self-Efficacy

What is self-efficacy?

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their own ability to succeed at a specific task or challenge. Introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura, it is not a general sense of self-worth but a task-specific confidence: someone can have high self-efficacy for presenting and low self-efficacy for negotiating.

It strongly shapes what people attempt, how hard they persist, and how they respond to setbacks, and it is closely linked to a growth mindset.

Why self-efficacy matters

People with strong self-efficacy take on harder goals, persist through difficulty, and recover from failure, while low self-efficacy leads to avoidance and giving up early. In the workplace it influences performance, initiative, and resilience, which makes it a valuable focus for development and coaching.

How self-efficacy is built

Mastery experiences. Succeeding at something, the most powerful source, often through small wins first.
Vicarious experience. Seeing similar people succeed.
Encouragement. Credible support and belief from others, including a coach.
Managing state. Interpreting nerves as readiness rather than threat, supported by cognitive reframing.

Build confidence that drives action

Coaching is one of the most effective ways to build self-efficacy, through small wins, encouragement, and reframing. Coachello helps people grow the confidence to take on more and keep going.

Grow confident, capable people. Book a demo.

FAQs

What is the difference between self-efficacy and self-confidence?

Self-efficacy is task-specific belief in your ability to do a particular thing. Self-confidence is a more general sense of self-assurance. You can have high self-efficacy in one area and low in another.

Who developed the concept of self-efficacy?

Psychologist Albert Bandura, as part of his social cognitive theory.

Can self-efficacy be developed?

Yes. It grows mainly through mastery experiences (small successes), seeing others succeed, encouragement, and managing how you interpret stress.