In this episode, I’d like to talk about ‘The Paradox of Self-Actualisation’ which is one of the 12 behavioural paradoxes developed by Dr. Dan Harrison. It’s the tendency to expand one’s self-awareness and capability through self-appreciation and the intention to improve. Now, a paradox could be described as two statements which seem to be contradictory yet are both true and a behavioural paradox is like two traits which seem to be contradictory, but which are in fact synergistic.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
So, if we look at the traits of the paradox of Self-actualization. We’ve got Self-acceptance which is ‘I like myself the way I am’ and Self-improvement ‘I want to get better and have a strong intention to improve myself’.
However, if we look at this and we look at Self-acceptance and we’ve only got this trait of Self-acceptance with low Self-improvement we may come across as confident and we may think ‘Yeah, we’re grand’ within ourselves but that actually may come across as being a bit self-aggrandising
and when people give us feedback, we may dismiss it as like ‘I don’t need to improve’ and that can come across as defensive, or arrogant. Where if we’re very high on self-improvement and we seek to improve ourselves but we’re low on Self-acceptance.
We may actually be overly self-critical and that means that we’re never really good enough and that applies to ourselves but also could apply that no one else is ever good enough other either.
So, it’s about being able to have this balance of Self-improvement and Self-acceptance which come together in ‘Self-Actualisation’, ‘I know I’m not perfect’, ‘I know I need to improve’ but I do appreciate what I’ve achieved so far and that means that I’m open to feedback, I don’t take it personally, I know no one’s perfect and I know that I can willingly take this feedback with a growth mindset and improve and also not beat myself up unnecessarily about it, because I go like ‘Yeah, great! Now I know something, I can move forward.’
So, where are you on this paradox? What are your tendencies? Do you tend to beat yourself up? Or do you tend to dismiss feedback? And where’s the team that you’re working in?
Because when it comes to ‘The Paradox of Self-Actualisation’, it’s important to stay curious!
With best regards,
David Klaasen
Talent4Performance help business leaders clarify complexity. We inspire people and drive continuous performance improvement, so they can convert thinking into action and results.
©David Klaasen – 2022
All journeys start with a first step. Take yours today.
Identify your priorities by completing the Clarity Matrix™ Scorecard, or just get in touch. We are happy to arrange an informal chat. This will help you clarify your needs and how we may be able to help you achieve your strategic objectives.