CHAPTER 4
Building High Self-Esteem
CHAPTER PREVIEW
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
1. Define self-esteem and its impact on your life.
2. Discuss how self-esteem is developed.
3. Identify the characteristics of people with low and high self-esteem.
4. Identify ways to increase your self-esteem.
5. Understand the conditions organizations can create that will help workers raise their self-esteem.
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE
Every successful man or woman in an organization will probably agree that high self-esteem and
confidence in one’s ability to achieve are mandatory for success in any career. That is why this subject
is taken up relatively early in the course of human relations study. One’s self–esteem is the sum of one’s
self-efficacy and self-respect. We are not born knowing who and what we are. We acquire our self-
esteem as authority figures from our childhood and adolescence express their opinions of us, both
positive and negative. In adulthood, our experiences at work and home continue to mold our self-
esteem.
In this chapter, students will learn that their behavior can be productive or nonproductive as a result of
their level of self-esteem. They will learn how to identify the source of low self-esteem, identify and
accept one’s limitations, engage in strength building, and seek the support and guidance of mentors, and
the importance of setting goals. Students will also learn how to practice guided imagery and use
positive self-talk.
Organizations are now realizing the value of encouraging and instilling high self-esteem in their
employees since happy, successful, motivated employees are more apt to be productive.
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
I. The Importance of Self-Esteem
A. Self-esteem = self-efficacy + self-respect
B. Authentic self-esteem
II. How Self-Esteem Develops
A. Childhood
B. Adolescence
C. Adulthood
1. The things we possess
2. What we do for a living
3. Our internal value system and emotional makeup
D. The past programs the future
16 Chapter 4: Building High Self-Esteem
III. Self-Esteem Influences Your Behavior
A. Characteristics of people with low self-esteem
1. They tend to maintain an external locus of control
2. They are more likely to participate in self-destructive behaviors
3. They tend to exhibit poor human relations skills
B. Characteristics of people with high self-esteem
1. They tend to maintain an internal locus of control
2. They are able to feel all dimensions of emotion without letting those emotions affect
their behavior in a negative way
3. They are less likely to take things personally
4. They are able to accept other people as unique, talented individuals
5. They have a productive personality
IV. How to Increase Your Self-Esteem
A. Search for the source of low self-esteem
B. Living consciously
C. Take responsibility for your decisions
D. Engage in strength building
E. Seek the support and guidance of mentors
1. Search for a mentor who has the qualities of a good coach
2. Market yourself to a prospective mentor
F. Set goals
G. Practice guided imagery
1. Work-related visualization
H. Use positive self-talk
1. Be specific about the behavior you want to change
2. The way you address yourself matters (“you,” not “I”)
V. Organizations Can Help:
Workers need to feel valued, competent, secure, empowered, and connected
CAREER INSIGHT EXERCISE
Ask students to set goals that focus on strength building and share them with the class.
TRY YOUR HAND EXERCISES
1. Answers will vary, but students should follow the four steps in Table 4.2: Students should spend
time reflecting on the things they want to change; develop a goal-setting plan that includes all the
activities and materials they will need to achieve their goal; modify their environment to facilitate
the changes desired; and monitor their behavior and appropriately reward themselves when the
new behaviors occur.
2. Students should recognize that the “usually” response to each statement is indicative of higher
self-esteem as compared to the “sometimes” response. Students should focus on how their
relationships at work, at home, and in various social situations might change if they were to
incorporate these characteristics of people with high self-esteem.
3. Students should be able to explain why they chose each potential mentor that they name,
including how they expect to benefit from the relationship and what information they have
gathered that suggests the mentoring relationship would realistically be successful. They should
be prepared to make a marketing “pitch” to each potential mentor that indicates how the mentored
student could be helpful to the mentor in return for his or her time and guidance.
Chapter 4: Building High Self-Esteem 17
CRITICAL THINKING CHALLENGE
Students should take a stand regarding whether self-directed networking and training through project
completion (as described by Dale Stephens) or formal post-secondary education is the better route to a
successful career for young adults.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Students can identify a skill or attitude to be improved. They should prepare a written goal and then
describe the steps they will take to achieve this goal.
YOU PLAY THE ROLE EXERCISE
Students playing the worker role should be ready to explain how the organization could benefit by
assigning a mentor to work with them throughout the summer. Their “pitch” should be focused and
concise both to accommodate the time set aside for the discussion and to demonstrate that the student
worker is mindful of the assistant manager’s time constraints.
CASE QUESTIONS
BELOW THE SURFACE: Earning the Respect of Others
1. Students can describe the steps they would take to improve morale and encourage harmony and
cooperative efforts among a group of employees. They can relate their team-building plan to
Kevin Ollie’s behavior as a “positive locker–room presence” who helped his teams and his
teammates succeed.
CLOSING CASE: The Mentoring of Edward
1. Most students will answer “yes” to this question. Students should be encouraged to provide
personal examples.
2. Edward might benefit from mentoring in such areas as study skills or career counseling.
ADDITIONAL APPLICATION EXERCISES
1. Draw a vertical line down the center of a large sheet of paper. Head one column “Strengths I See
in Myself” and the other “Weaknesses I See in Myself.”
Note to the Instructor: Allow students four minutes to fill in the strengths side of the paper. Then
allow them an additional four minutes to fill in the weaknesses side. When they have finished,
say, “When given this opportunity, most students find that they have written more weaknesses
than strengths. Why is this? How does this affect your self-esteem? Is there any way to turn your
weaknesses into strengths?” This exercise can provide the first step toward strength building.
2. Choose from the selection of magazines and journals provided in class. Prepare a personal collage
on a large sheet of white paper, depicting yourself as you most want to be, by cutting items out of
the various magazines and pasting them onto the paper.
Note to the Instructor: Bring to class fashion magazines, travel magazines, and professional
journals that represent career choices of various students. Make sure each student brings or is
provided with scissors, glue, and a large sheet of white paper. Display the collages anonymously
when they are finished. An interesting supportive exercise is to have a contest to see who can
accurately match the most collages with the students who made them.