Reflective leaders become causal agents of change

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to place the growing body of research on leadership self-efficacy in context for practicing or aspiring leaders. Design/methodology/approach - The paper highlights, synthesizes, and frames research on leadership self-efficacy for leaders who seek to improve their effectiveness. It uses a case study to illustrate how a leader can apply the findings of research to become a better leader. Findings - Performance-enhancing strategies are recommended based on the literature for practitioners who strive to become better leaders by improving their self-monitoring and reflective skills. Practical implications - The paper seeks to provide practitioners with useful strategies to improve their leadership self-efficacy. Originality/value - A decade ago the authors published a handful of articles about the implications of self-efficacy for educators and remain interested in the topic, finding that while research on leadership self-efficacy is growing, it has not reached leaders in the workplace.