Whether you succeed at work may depend on many factors—intelligence, empathy, self-control, talent and persistence, to name a few. But one determinant may outweigh many of these: how you perceive those around you.
A Key Component of Achievement – Psychological Capital
Psychological capital reflects our capacity to overcome obstacles and push ourselves to pursue our ambitions. It is a mixture of
- efficacy (self-confidence)
- resilience (you believe you can bounce back from setbacks)
- hope (you believe you can achieve your goals)
- optimism (you expect good things to happen in the future).
Scoring high on this measure is linked to markers of success: being promoted, winning awards, popularity with peers, stability of marriage and even longevity. A prospective employee with a lot of psychological capital is likely to do well on the job and thus, be a smart hire.
How Do I Know My Psychological Capital
Individuals might like to know how much of it they have. It is difficult to intuit, even if you think you know yourself fairly well, because you have little sense of how you compare with others. In fact, your own ability to get things done is highly correlated with how you see others.
Implicit positive perceptions of others are associated with greater satisfaction with groups to which we belong, less cynicism and greater popularity among your peers. Such perceptions and worldviews are also likely to impact health and marriage. If you associate the gym with drudgery, you are unlikely to exercise. If you don’t trust your spouse or you don’t believe in happy endings, you may be less keen on your relationship.
Knowing how positively you see people and situations could be used for self-improvement.