We are not referring to the cape wearing superheroes, or the people who feel the need to step into crazy dangerous situations. We are referring to those H.E.R.O.’s who implement the concept of Psychological Capital: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism.
The concept of Psychological Capital was originally developed by Luthans, Aviolo and Youssef (2004), for workplaces. They soon realised the improvements and transferrable benefits that H.E.R.O. had in all areas of an individual’s life. These 4 components, when combined with Authentic Leadership, is the secret to how individuals and organisations can gain their competitive advantage in work and in life.
While each component of H.E.R.O. has its own beneficial characteristics and interventions, the entire concept of Psychological Capital is greater than the sum of its parts.
Over the next four weeks we will be delving into each component in detail to share, how you and your organisation can reap the rewards of being a H.E.R.O.
Here is a brief overview of the four components:
Hope is having confidence in a successful outcome, no matter what adversity is currently in front of you. It is believing that things will go well and a positive result will be gained out of the situation. It is the positive future oriented view of where we can and will get to.
Efficacy – the individual believes in themselves and their abilities to attempt, carry out, and follow through with tasks. It is the belief that we can produce what is required to complete any task in front of us. How you perceive obstacles (with a turnaround to opportunities) will impact on how you deal with them.
Resilience – is our capacity to adapt and be flexible in the face of adversity and not just bounce back (to the previous state or place), but bounce forward! This is where we dig deep to unleash our H.E.R.O. within and bounce forward to a whole new level.
Optimism – reflects our belief that outcomes of events and experiences will be positive regardless of what is happening in the moment. Optimists will see adverse events as temporary (there is an end-point to the pain at this level), local (this is localised to one area of my life and does not need to consume all of me) and changeable (I may not be able to change the situation but I can change the way I think about it).
Why do you need to care about cultivating H.E.R.O.’s?
Because when we do, research has shown that engagement increases, performance amplifies, productivity expands and work patterns and life is experienced with more ease and flow. Imagine that for yourself and your team!
Be your own H.E.R.O. at work and in every area of your life and watch the magic happen.
If you want to find out how to cultivate the H.E.R.O. within for yourself or your team then let’s jump on a call together and work out the next steps forward for you!
Click HERE to find out how to cultivate your H.E.R.O. within.
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