The Role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Leader Development

This article examines various ways in which self-efficacy belief influences leader development. Drawing from social cognitive theory, we discuss four self-efficacy concepts that are pertinent to leader development: (a) preparatory self-efficacy, (b) efficacy spirals, (c) learning self-efficacy, and (d) resilient self-efficacy. We argue that the role of self-efficacy in leader development is more complex than traditionally considered. The article also addresses influences of a contextual factors and other individual differences on a leader’s self-efficacy. We then discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these propositions for leader development.