LEADERSHIP | Self-esteem - why it matters to you
LEADERSHIP | Self-esteem has a profound impact on all aspects of our lives - how we perform at the workplace, how we interact with people, our ability to influence others, and our level of psychological wellbeing.
In the words of the late Nathaniel Branden, a psychotherapist and a leading authority on self-esteem, “Of all the judgements we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves.” In short, self-esteem is the key to success in life.
“Self-esteem” can be broadly defined as the overall evaluation of oneself in either a positive or negative way. It indicates the extent to which an individual believes himself to be competent and worthy of living.
Joel Brockner defines self-esteem as “a trait referring to individuals’ degree of liking or disliking for themselves” whilst HS Sullivan defines it as “All of those feelings of competence and personal worth that hold a person together.” Simply put, self-esteem is essentially one’s overall sense of self-competence and self-worth.
Self-competence is a generalised sense of one’s own efficacy or ability to deal effectively with life’s challenges and to attain challenging goals. In a nutshell, self-competence is having self-confidence or the conviction that one is generally capable of producing desired results.
Self-worth or self-respect is essentially accepting oneself unconditionally and having the feeling that one is worthy of living and attaining happiness; you feel like you...
LEADERSHIP | Self-esteem has a profound impact on all aspects of our lives - how we perform at the workplace, how we interact with people, our ability to influence others, and our level of psychological wellbeing.
In the words of the late Nathaniel Branden, a psychotherapist and a leading authority on self-esteem, “Of all the judgements we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves.” In short, self-esteem is the key to success in life.
What is self-esteem?
“Self-esteem” can be broadly defined as the overall evaluation of oneself in either a positive or negative way. It indicates the extent to which an individual believes himself to be competent and worthy of living.
Joel Brockner defines self-esteem as “a trait referring to individuals’ degree of liking or disliking for themselves” whilst HS Sullivan defines it as “All of those feelings of competence and personal worth that hold a person together.” Simply put, self-esteem is essentially one’s overall sense of self-competence and self-worth.
Self-competence is a generalised sense of one’s own efficacy or ability to deal effectively with life’s challenges and to attain challenging goals. In a nutshell, self-competence is having self-confidence or the conviction that one is generally capable of producing desired results.
Self-worth or self-respect is essentially accepting oneself unconditionally and having the feeling that one is worthy of living and attaining happiness; you feel like you matter.
As stated by Nathaniel Branden, self-competence and self-worth are the dual pillars of healthy self-esteem; if either is absent, self-esteem is impaired.
Self-esteem and productive behaviour
Self-esteem is a prerequisite for productive behaviour in general. People perform better in everything they do when they consider themselves competent to accomplish what they set out to do and worthy of success - they feel that they matter.
Don E Hamachek ably summarises the importance of self-esteem as follows: “People with positive self-esteem tend to be happier, healthier, and more productive than people with low self-esteem.”
High self-esteem makes the most of one’s personality and abilities. It triggers enthusiasm and empowers individuals from within to attain challenging goals. Self-esteem also enhances creativity and optimism in facing challenges at the workplace and in our personal lives.
Self-esteem and job hunting
Research, including that conducted locally by Norida Abdullah et al., shows that individuals with high self-esteem will take more risks in job selection and are more likely to choose unconventional jobs than people with low self-esteem. People with high self-esteem make more favourable impressions on job recruiters and get more job offers.
Individuals with high self-esteem are more likely than individuals with low self-esteem to choose challenging careers and jobs. People who are low in self-esteem tend to be less successful in their job searches than those who are high in self-esteem.
Self-esteem and work performance
Research has shown that employees with high self-esteem are more likely than those with low self-esteem to be intrinsically motivated and optimistic; more productive in quality circles; more apt to work harder in response to significant negative feedback; and less negatively affected by chronic stressors such as role ambiguity and conflict.
They are also generally more creative, amenable to change, more decisive, less defensive and more likely to have an internal locus of control. In the words of Warren Bennis, a renowned leadership guru, “... knowledge workers, in particular, can be creative and productive and happy only in an environment that nurtures self-esteem.”
Numerous studies show a positive correlation between self-esteem and peak performance at work. For example, Ann Howard and Douglas Bray found that AT&T managers’ levels of self-esteem significantly predicted their degree of advancement 20 years later.
In another study involving more than 300 top-level executives from 15 global companies, self-confidence was one of the competencies that distinguished superior performers from average performers. As concluded by Richard E Boyatzis, “Self-confidence appears strongly associated with managerial effectiveness.”
It should be noted that the relationship between self-esteem and peak performance is bidirectional: self-esteem and peak performance influence each other. The reciprocal relationship between self-esteem and peak performance at work is best exemplified in the 'Empowering cycle of high self-esteem' (below) which I have developed based upon literature research.
As shown in Figure 1, high self-esteem fosters high expectations. Research shows that individuals with high self-esteem are more confident than those with low self-esteem that their efforts will lead to success.
In the words of Charles Garfield, “The one element that stands out most clearly among our peak performers is their virtually unassailable belief in the likelihood of their own success.” Research also generally shows that feelings of self-competence are conducive to higher levels of intrinsic motivation. In short, individuals with high self-esteem tend to be more ambitious than those with low self-esteem.
High expectations facilitate the establishment of challenging goals. Individuals with high self-esteem generally undertake more challenging goals than do individuals with low self-esteem.
Challenging goals help to stimulate focused and sustained effort. Individuals who have a strong sense of efficacy or self-competence tend to focus their attention and effort on the demands of tasks and to minimise potential difficulties. Persons with high self-esteem perform better after an initial failure than persons with low self-esteem and are more likely to persevere in the face of obstacles. Indeed, self-esteem is a key variable in determining resilience.
Focused and sustained effort promotes attainment of peak performance which consequently reinforces feelings of high self-esteem. As stated by Nathaniel Branden, reaching demanding and worthwhile goals nurtures good self-esteem.
Self-esteem and leadership
High self-esteem is also one of the fundamental traits of effective leaders. Research has shown a positive relationship between self-esteem and leadership. Leaders typically have higher levels of self-esteem than non-leaders.
Leaders with high self-esteem are generally decisive, assertive, willing to take calculated risks, prepared to make tough decisions, and exhibit high but realistic expectations of their subordinates which become self-fulfilling. Simply put, how can one be a good leader if he distrusts his own mind and how can one bring out the best in others when he feels insecure in his interpersonal exchanges?
Norman Hill aptly concludes: “One factor, though, upon which almost all of those who study leadership are in agreement is: those who influence others possess a significant degree of self-esteem.” Self-esteem plays a critical role in decision making and in gaining others’ trust. Gaining the trust of others is crucial for the effective implementation of decisions.
Self-esteem and interpersonal relations
Self-esteem also enhances establishment of good interpersonal relations. To form nourishing relationships with others, you must first truly love yourself. The more you love yourself, the more you will love others.
It is also an established fact that self-respect is the foundation of respect for others. People with high self-esteem do not view others with envy or apprehension. They are also generally more cooperative, enthusiastic, considerate, assertive and respectful than people with low self-esteem.
In the words of Virginia Satir, “Good human relations and appropriate and loving behaviour stem from persons of self-worth.” Indeed, most of the interpersonal problems at the workplace are often linked to low self-esteem of employees.
People with low self-esteem generally have difficulty in feeling an authentic liking for other people; they tend to be jealous and look for flaws in others. Hence, as stated by Wayne Weiten and Margaret A Lloyd, they tend to relate to others in negative ways - thereby courting rejection and compounding their problems.
Self-esteem and psychological wellbeing
Self-esteem is also significantly associated with effective functioning of individuals. People who seek psychological assistance frequently admit that they suffer from feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy.
This fact has been aptly summarised by Carl Rogers as follows: “If I were to search for the central core of difficulty in people as I have come to know them, it is that in the great majority of cases they despise themselves, regarding themselves as worthless and unlovable.”
Research shows that low self-esteem is significantly associated with depression, anxiety, irritability, impulse to aggression, shyness and low life satisfaction. Low self-esteem has also been linked to juvenile delinquency; self-destructive behaviours such as alcohol and drug abuse; eating disorders; and suicide.
In conclusion, as stated by Charles Garfield, genuine and sustainable high performance begins with an internal decision to excel. This internal decision to excel is unlikely to occur in the case of an individual who is riddled with self-doubt and considers himself or herself as unworthy of achievement or success.
RANJIT SINGH MALHI is a widely-quoted authority on self-leadership, peak performance and soft skills. He has written six books on personal excellence, soft skills and management, three of which have been translated into Arabic.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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