Another snippet from the book-in-progress …

In hundreds upon hundreds of interviews, we’ve seen the same thing: People give their all to make the world a better place, and then refuse to admit that they’ve made any difference. Even when it’s clear that a person has made contributions that most would agree are of great consequence, they’ll deny their power and influence.

The antidote to denial? Focusing on what we have accomplished. When we see vivid proof that our actions have led to the results we wanted, we’re compelled to admit—however reluctantly—that we have indeed made a difference in the world.

The importance of such self-efficacy has been the subject of intense study over the past few decades.

A person with a strong sense of self-efficacy is more likely to hold the images of success that are crucial to successful accomplishment. This harkens back to Frederick Polak’s notion of influence-optimism—the belief that we can influence the future for the better. He observed that positive images of the future flourish when influence-optimism is most alive, and that those images predict a bright future for a culture.

The research on self-efficacy holds some surprises. For example, it up-ends the conventional wisdom that it’s important to be realistic about your abilities, and that holding an inflated view of your capacities is bound to get you into trouble.

Instead, the research shows that the people who make the best use of their potential are those who overestimate their own capabilities. People who hold “unrealistically” rosy opinions of their abilities tend to make the greatest contributions to society. What is often dismissed as mere bravado or self-deception is actually very functional. Indeed, it’s essential if we’re to aspire to anything beyond the routine.

This shakes up yet another popular notion: That a sense of accomplishment—or even just plain feeling good about yourself—is a character flaw. It means you’re prideful, smug, “full of yourself.” And it leads to laziness, complacency, “resting on your laurels.”

In fact, cultivating a strong sense of self-efficacy lets you see more options for action, more ways to exercise your gifts, more avenues for self-expression and contribution. These inner resources make you more effective, especially if you want to sustain your energy over a lifetime. With strong self-efficacy, you’re also more likely to take risks and attempt new challenges—and less likely to settle for the status quo.

Perhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but seeing the full extent of your accomplishments makes you more ambitious, not less.

For individuals and organizations seeking to bring about social change, such a stance is of historic significance.

Self-efficacy is best developed, researchers have found, by actual experiences of successes, times when we show ourselves we’re competent and capable in influencing our surroundings. It’s also developed by seeing others—especially others who are like us—having such experiences.

Simply being told that you are capable builds self-efficacy to some extent, but it’s much less effective than these actual experiences.

So if you want to increase the collective self-efficacy of your organization, you’ll make a little progress by standing up at the staff meeting and telling everyone how great they are.

If you really want people to know that you believe in them, then offer them opportunities to live and relive their successes and the successes of others—to study, savor, and learn from their best experiences.