There’s a term in psychology called self-efficacy. And, sure, it sounds like one of those buzzwords that you’d hear in a corporate training video or motivational seminar. But what it really points to is something ancient, even primal. It’s about belief—the belief that you can do the thing. That you can accomplish the goal, close the gap, build the better version of yourself or your company or your life.But here’s where I think it gets tricky. Because when we talk about belief, especially in a culture like ours—one that’s soaked in this narrative of the rugged individual, of grit, of hustle—we tend to think it’s all about what you can do on your own. Like success is some lonely climb up a mountain, where the only tools you need are your own two hands, a little determination, and maybe a motivational quote stitched into your backpack.But that’s a lie. Or, at the very least, a dangerous half-truth.Because here’s what’s real: Efficacy—true efficacy—is never about just you. It’s about your ability to tap into resources outside yourself. To seek out help, to learn from others, to lean on your community. It’s about understanding that you’re not meant to do it all on your own. And you don’t have to. In fact, you can’t. There’s a story we’re told about “high achievers.” That they’re born with some innate spark or drive or talent that the rest of us mere mortals just don’t have. That they see the world differently. Work harder. Dream bigger. And maybe some of that is true. But what’s more true—what you don’t see in the highlight reels—is that they also fail, a lot. They ask for help, often. They don’t always know what they’re doing. But what they do have is a belief that they’ll figure it out. That they’ll learn what they need to learn. That they’ll do whatever it takes to close the gap between where they are now and where they want to be.And that’s self-efficacy. It’s not about confidence in some innate ability. It’s about trusting your own capacity to become capable. To grow into the person who can solve the problem, achieve the goal, live the vision. Now, let’s be honest. There’s a temptation here to dismiss all this as just feel-good pep talk. Like, “Yeah, okay, believe in myself, got it.” But what I’m asking you to consider is deeper than that. I’m asking you to examine the stories you tell yourself about your own potential—and to challenge them.Because here’s the truth that you might not want to hear: Most of you don’t really know what you’re capable of. You’ve barely scratched the surface of your own potential.And I know this because I’ve seen it.Natasha, Elise—you both stepped into roles that, on paper, you weren’t “qualified” for. And yet, here we are. Quarter after quarter, you’ve crushed records. You’ve scaled results beyond what anyone expected. Why? Because you chose not to believe the story that said, “I don’t have the experience.”Ihor, you walked into a department that was a mess—let’s not sugarcoat it—and you fixed it. You gave our clients more leads than they’ve ever had. Not because you magically knew how to do that on day one, but because you believed you could figure it out.Ana, Dina—you’re responsible for some of our biggest wins. And yet, if I asked you to list your accomplishments, I bet you’d undersell yourselves. You’d downplay it. Because somewhere, deep down, there’s still a part of you that doubts your own capacity.And that’s the thing about self-efficacy: It’s a choice. It’s not a personality trait you’re born with or without. It’s a story you decide to believe—or not.What story are you going to tell yourself this year? Because I believe this can be a defining year for all of us. Not because the work will magically get easier or the challenges will disappear. But because we can choose to approach it differently. We can choose to see ourselves not as limited by our current skills or knowledge, but as capable of learning, growing, and achieving whatever we set our minds to.We’re not here by accident. We’ve built something special. And we have the opportunity to take it even further. But it’s going to require all of us to believe in that opportunity—and in ourselves.I’m here to support you in that. To help clear the path, to provide the resources, to remind you, when you forget, just how capable you are.But ultimately, the belief has to come from you.So, yeah. It’s scary to bet on yourself. To say, “I don’t know exactly how to do this yet, but I’m going to figure it out.” It’s risky. Vulnerable. But it’s also the only way forward.So let’s choose that risk. Let’s choose to believe in our capacity to grow, to learn, to achieve. Let’s choose to close the gap between where we are now and what the world-class version of this company looks like.Because that gap? It’s just a story waiting to be rewritten.And we’re the ones holding the pen.

Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break