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People with high self-esteem tend to keep it that way
by blaming external factors for their failures and taking personal credit
for their successes.
People with low self-esteem tend to keep it that way
by blaming themselves for failures and not taking any personal credit for
successes. They might attribute their success to luck or to someone else's
actions. So despite their "success", their self-esteem and
motivation remain low and they are caught in a vicious cycle from which it
is difficult to escape.
Through experiencing success and taking credit for
it, people with low self-esteem will regain some sense of control over
their lives again.
Strategies for Raising Self-Esteem
1. Have them review their experiences with
something they do well or that is similar to the skill or
knowledge to be learned.
2. You review positive experiences in ways
which highlight what individuals contributed to success.
3. Have them do the thing that's similar to
the skills/knowledge to be learned twice, highlighting relative successes
on the second occasion.
4. You review (or have them review) the things
that are similar to the skills and knowledge to be learned, highlighting
how abilities were underestimated at the beginning.
5. If it's group training, have the group
identify and support the achievement of the individuals'5.
past skills and knowledge, and do the same for that to be learned.
6. Ensure that there is a sense of progression
for each individual
7. Search out suitable opportunities for
delegating and trusting so that people have real responsibilities for the
organization or quality of the activity (and are not simply
"consumers" of the activity).
8. Encourage activities in which early success
is likely, and in which there is a good chance of further successes soon
after.
9. Do the activity once to overcome
fear.
10. Convert competitive games into cooperative or
creative ones.
11. Use a variety of review techniques which give
individuals plenty of scope for expressing positive experiences.
12. Encourage adventurous activities, especially
activities likely to generate experiences of self-control, taking risks
and achieving what seemed impossible.
13. Have them "reframe" an experience
which is seen as a failure: every cloud as a silver lining.
14. Find a 14th and it will raise your
self-esteem. Could creativity be the clue?
Thanks to Robert Greenway who gave us these ideas in the Training Ideas
listserv. |
