The Core File: Silent Opponents, Self-Efficacy & Locus of Control

The Core File is a brief, weekly post about work & organizations. It is designed to offer food for thought for your week.To ensure you don’t miss an installment — subscribe by email on the right sidebar.

Quote of the Week“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Teddy Roosevelt.

Thought of the Week
Our fight with a silent enemy, has overtaken nearly every thought and conversation over the past weeks. The decisions made now, hold incredible weight. For many organizations, the strategies adopted during this crisis, could serve as the deciding factor regarding their future.

In meetings, our discussions have turned to “war games”, suspended work, monitoring employee well-being and evaluating how to tread water until the world makes sense again.

As a psychologist, I am concerned about so many things — including slipping toward feelings of helplessness. This can occur when our locus of control is drawn away from us, and toward the external forces that we cannot affect. Only feelings of self-efficacy can help resolve this state. Of course, most of us are not in the position to craft policy or speed the development game-changing measures. Yet, we can meet the situation where it stands — and help in our own way.

This means helping others with the tools we have at our disposal: our knowledge, training and experience.

Make a difference in any way you can. Some brief reading material below.

What to Read

Locus of Control and Your Life, Kendra Cherry, VeryWell Mind.
What is Self-Efficacy Theory in Psychology, Courtney Ackerman, MSc, Postive Psychology.

Strategy of the Week: Do What You Can
First of all, take a deep breath. Clear your mind. Grab a notebook. Then respond to the following prompts:

What can I do right now, in this situation that might prove useful?
What knowledge, training or experiences can I bring to the problem?
What audience would benefit most?
How can I reach my audience?

Now go.
Whether you help 1 person or 1000 — makes no difference.

Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist who focuses on bringing core stability to people and organizations. She is a charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program. Her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including the Harvard Business Review, Talent Zoo, Forbes, Quartz and The Huffington Post.