Psychological Capital and Well-Being
Little did I know that my thesis topic of 2014 would be more relevant than ever in 2021...
Redundancy gifted the shell-shocked me with a major reading boost without having to look at the time and work off my to-do list. I finally got to join the "booktubers" community on YouTube and "bookstagrammers" reading community on IG. But enough of my love to read (those that know me know that Harvard Business Reviews and backed up research data are right up my alley).
So here I was wanting to delve again into the topic of well-being.
Psychological well-being (PWB) is a derivative of the positive psychology field and entails the cultivating of positive emotions to ensure the optimal functioning and experience of individuals (Ryan and Deci, 2001). A recent study by Gautam, Ningthoujam and Singh (2019) confirmed the positive significant impact of psychological capital on well-being and research also depicts that psychological capital is an important resource for optimal team functioning (Waters, Strauss, Somech, Haslam, 2020)
Psychological capital is a state-like positive motivational condition that arises from the following four components: hope, optimism, resilience and self efficacy. It can simply be defined as the "probability for success".
I followed the suggestion of an insightful podcast and ranked myself from 1-10 on each of these criteria to better understand if I got Psychological Capital AT A HIGH LEVEL.
Because a high level = high psychological capital = positive impact on your well-being
HOPE - In my belief to achieve outcomes
EFFICACY - Confidence that my efforts will translate into actions
RESILIENCE - Power to bounce back
OPTIMISM - Having a positive view
In our increasingly fast-paced and ever demanding lives, some self reflection can certainly help us all increase our self-awareness and simultaneously we can even lend a hand to our friends and family. We can help our colleagues understand their highs and lows, work together, support each other and ultimately deliver consistent business results whilst maintaining positive levels of mental well-being.
I know I know easier said than done, but taking the first mini step of even thinking about this and how the H.E.R.O score for everyone might be different especially in this crazy time, can enable you to lead with empathy no matter what.