Nicework vs. Bear

Our company was recently the agency in charge of visuals for a big conference. Said conference had many moving parts and very, very high stakes. Deadlines were tight and resources limited. So, as a business, we got all hands on deck. For weeks, Niceworkians worked until the small hours of the morning pushing out work. There were numberous issues: we did not fully grasp the client, it's usp and it's people. In the early stages, there seemed to be more backtracking than anything, but as we kept on trucking, things started to fall into place.

In the end, the conference was an amazing success and we are very proud of the work we produced. Work that our client felt did their brands justice.

In retrospect, beside the actual design and project management work, the differentiating factor was attitude. The idea that no matter what, we would tackle the project with a can do attitude. The same old boring “can do” attitide that every single management guru harps on about. In psychology, this attitude is known as self efficacy.

Ones idea of self efficacy affects a very broad range of interactions. In a work context, the trick is to be self aware enough to aim just higher than your current ability. This allows the highest chance of success, which (yes I know its nausiating), begets more.

Being aware of the factors that affect ones perception are key to their manipulation. In no particular order:

1. Experience

   The more you do something, the better at it you become, the more your confidence will grow. As obvious as this is, we often forget it.

2. Modeling

   Anthony Hopkins informs Alec Baldwin in The Edge: “What one man can do, another can do”. In fairness he was talking about impaling a Grisly Bear with a self-fashioned wooden spear – not likely old boy.

3. Social Persuasions

   Its amazing how a couple of words, even some mumbled encouragement can make all the difference. Tell Nimrod from Accounting that you are deeply impressed by his payroll prowess.

4. Physiological Factors

   There are a number of other factors that affect stress but lets focus on perception. A person with high self-efficacy might perceive the anxiety of presenting to a room full of people as fuel for increasing his performance. An expected and welcome feeling.

Just about everyone wants to grow and better themselves. Knowing how to set the scene for this growth and controlling it are priceless. So, next time you are presented with a situation that makes you want to stay home and hide in the cupboard, take a moment to break down your perception and see if  you can, in fact, push through.