Category: Self-Awareness

Introduction

Self-awareness is crucial in all human interactions. Understanding ourselves makes it possible for us to participate more meaningfully in groups. This paper presents the findings of a self-awareness exercise. I have collated the views of seven people who know me well as a means of finding out certain things about myself that I may be unaware of. In cases where I am aware, I believe that their feedback will strengthen my ideas about myself and provide me with a means of determining which areas of my group participation traits need improvement. The people who agreed to provide me with this information have interacted with me at the group level. Most of them have been members of shared workgroups and have had to deal with me on various issues. In some cases, I was the group leader while in others I was a participating member. The situations vary from group to group. Some of them are class-based while others are institution-based. I trust their views and take their opinion seriously.

I collected the data in written form, all in soft copy. I have analyzed it using the five questions provided for the exercise. The five questions address the issues of personal strengths and weaknesses. They also address likable and alienating qualities. At the end of the paper, I have analyzed the feedback they provided to bring out my personality trait and behavioral tendencies. I have used them to develop a consistent view of my personality and my tendencies. I have to say that they have helped me to increase my awareness as far as my team working style is concerned. Primarily I have very strong relational qualities. I am also a feeler. My biggest weakness is taking things personally. I have identified this as serious enough to negate the achievements my relational strength provides.

My Strengths

I received valuable feedback relating to how I add value to my workgroup. One respondent stated that I seek consensus on issues even if the majority hold a view that is contrary to mine. The respondent reported that I seek to develop relationships before I set upon tasks. I also have a warm presence that makes people feel comfortable because they feel they can trust me. The second respondent identified my strengths as the ability to go the extra mile to ensure the successful completion of assigned tasks. The respondent also added that I can compromise to ensure that the whole group moves forward. This respondent included an example of a time when I took charge to get the group moving forward. We had a problem deciding on our meeting logistics. I offered my house for the group meeting and then we worked out a convenient time for everyone. The third response concurred with the second response that I have a strong sense of relationships. The respondent said that I concentrate on developing personal relationships making it beneficial for all parties involved. This respondent also said that I have a way of creating balance and seeking clarity on issues. This makes the group proceed onto the task without ambiguity.

The fourth respondent identified a “thorough assessment” of the group’s needs and dynamics as my unique contribution to the group’s development. This respondent also identified me as a natural leader. This is because I moved to provide leadership for the group without a direct requirement for me to do so. To the next respondent, the asset that I am in the group is my non-conventional approach to issues. The respondent also said that I encourage the group members. The fifth respondent said that I “bring forth creative ideas”. The final respondent perceives me as a reliable worker and someone who takes tasks without complaining.

Examples of How I Applied these Strengths

The first example that team members noted how I applied my strengths was in remaining confident in my knowledge and experience. Also, the first respondent noted that I lightened up tense moments when the group had a conflict. The second respondent recalls an incident where I wanted to take charge of a specific component of the project we were working on. Upon realizing that the group had settled on another plan for accomplishing the task, I went with the group’s proposal. The third respondent identified my participation in the online residency ambassadorial role as an example of an application of my strengths. The respondent said that my ability to develop relationships “was well-received” in that context. The respondent added that the group members appreciated my concern for their well-being.

The fourth respondent, who is the owner of a bed and breakfast facility, recalled a situation where I undertook the development of a marketing plan for her business in concert with her employees. During that time, I called for a staff where we jointly developed a plan. Through this process, I applied analytical skills enabling me to develop a thorough understanding of the operations of the business. Unlike before the meeting, the staff saw the business on the same page and felt motivated by their participation. The fifth respondent identified a situation where I remained focused on the task at hand despite an ongoing interpersonal conflict with one of the group members. The respondent adds, “You did your part”, showing that I did everything in my power to resolve the issues. The sixth respondent remembered my participation in the Adult Learning Class, where he says I provided creative ideas. The final respondent noted the timely completion of my tasks in the Leadership Class, despite group-wide problems associated with difficulties in working with google docs.

Traits I Should Maintain

The third question related to traits that each respondent felt I should maintain. The first respondent said that I would do well to maintain adaptability and flexibility especially when working with people from different cultures and backgrounds. The respondent added that I should not let personality and cultural differences affect my participation. The second respondent pointed out a few qualities I should maintain. They included being accommodative and cooperative, calm, and good listening skills. In the respondent’s assessment, these qualities predisposed me to a great leadership career. The third respondent encouraged me to carry on being relationship-focused. The justification for this was that this quality made it easy to work with me since I developed relationships first. Also, the respondent said that I needed to remain keen to share my viewpoint because it made a real difference.

The fourth respondent recognized my ability to bring people together. In this relation, the respondent said, “I would like to see you continue bringing folks together with the use of your special talents”. The fifth respondent concurred with the third respondent saying they would like me to continue being assertive especially in class, to get my point of view across. The sixth respondent liked my analytical thinking skills best. He said it was a great asset to the group and that I needed to continue making it available. The final respondent encouraged me to continue accepting challenges. The respondent said that I would be beneficial to many groups if I continue being reliable and delivered results.

Traits I Should Discard

The respondents encouraged me to discard some traits. The first respondent said that I would do well to stop being too silent during conflicts. The respondent said that I needed to learn to speak out more often during the tense moments that ensue when a conflict plays out. The second respondent related an incident where I took an issue personally and withdrew from the group’s deliberations. The respondent explained that I misunderstood the intention of the group and overreacted by reducing my participation in that particular session. The respondent hopes that it was a one-off incident. The respondent encouraged me to be more assertive because there is more value I can add to the group that way. The third respondent wanted me to “stop holding back” and to stop taking issues personally. This respondent encouraged me to deal with issues as issues without getting them mixed up with the people. I received encouragement to be more assertive also.

The fourth respondent did not list anything in particular that I should stop doing. The fifth respondent asked that I stop being flustered in class. This respondent believed I could communicate more clearly despite the language barrier since English is not my first language. The respondent pointed out that I tended to talk around my point other than getting straight to it. The sixth respondent felt that I held back during discussions and encouraged me to come forth more forcefully. The respondent added that this holding back robbed the group of valuable contribution.

Improvements I Should Make

The following were the contributions of the respondents about changes I can make to improve my group participation. I received encouragement from the first respondent to continue working with my natural gifts. The respondent pointed out that I had an easy way around people, which brought people together. The second respondent said that I would do well to work on being more assertive. The justification offered was that I had a lot to offer to the groups I worked with. The third respondent identified my “emotional response to probing”. The respondent meant that I acted defensively when someone tried to find out what I was thinking about an issue. The respondent wanted to assure me that there were times when people were genuinely interested in my thoughts on the issue and did not plan to use the information I gave maliciously. The same respondent continued to encourage me to develop a higher threshold for conflict because certain issues could only be resolved after a session of intense conflict.

The fourth respondent urged me to carry on working together with groups because I had a natural knack there. The fifth respondent suggested that I put more effort into my communication with the rest of the class. The concern that there were people who missed what I said because of the language barrier motivated this suggestion. This response said that I had a duty to confirm with the people that I spoke with to ensure that they had understood what I said to make sure nothing was lost. The sixth respondent confirmed the need for me to become more assertive when communicating. This respondent pointed out that I should be able to speak up and ensure my point gets across even if the group has many people with strong opinions.

Recap of Data, Assessment, and Recognition of Patterns

Based on the data I collected, the following are the issues I identified. On my strengths, I learned that I have a keen interest in relationships and generally try to have everyone on board as we undertake a project. Also, I learned that I can go the extra mile to assure the successful completion of a project. I also identified an obvious strength as my analytical skills, creativity, and the ability to motivate groups. I have applied these strengths in various environments. They include group discussions, group activities, the work environment, and conflict resolution. The traits that I will do well to maintain include my relational approach to teamwork. Many of the respondents alluded to this as a particular personality trait. Also, they proposed that I retain personal qualities such as being accommodative, calm, and cooperative. They urged me to guard my listening skills and to remain adaptable and flexible in my undertakings. I was encouraged to work on being assertive especially in class-like situations.

I was encouraged to discard some traits. They include the avoidance of conflict and being too sensitive. I received advice that I become more tolerant to conflict and to allow them to play out in full. Other traits to discard include lack of assertiveness and failure to contribute effectively to group activities and avoiding taking issues personally. There was the challenge to avoid getting flustered when communicating to ensure that I got my point across. Finally, I received advice that I must stop being too polite and become forceful to get my point of view across.

Discussion of Persons Interviewed Light of Their Comments

Seven respondents provided me with the information I needed for this exercise. Six of them were classmates while one of them was my volunteer job manager named Angie. The classmates were Mckenna, Grace, Luis, Dana, Wavey, and David. Angie’s comments were all positive and she failed to identify any negative areas or those that I could improve on. I suspect the reason for this was the limited interaction we had because of the relatively short duration we spent together during the volunteer stint. Mckenna provided me with very detailed comments. She raised the issues relating to my focus on relationships. Grace was not too pleased with the one instance that I became very personal. She communicated very carefully and with enough sensitivity to ensure I got her point without offending me. We worked with Luis as Ambassadors for the online residency. Luis communicated very directly and with a brave tone. He did not shy away from controversy. He was among those that encouraged me to develop a greater threshold for tolerating conflict. I think he suspected that I was overly sensitive about people’s feelings and hence intolerant to conflict.

I was in the same Strategic Leadership Class with Dana and later worked together on group assignments. She was concerned about my ability to communicate assertively in English and encouraged me to work harder at getting my thoughts across. She is a natural communicator hence I understand why she had a particular concern with my communication skills. I shared the same Adult Learning Class with Wavey. My creativity and analytical thinking skills impressed Wavey. Wavey is not a loud person, but is withdrawn and is very reflective. No wonder he recognized creativity and analytical skills when he saw them. He is also a man of a few words, explaining why he chose to answer only the questions he felt he had sufficient understanding. The final person who provided me with data is David. We were in the same Leadership Class. David has a knack for getting things done. No wonder he noticed my efficiency in getting things done no matter the difficulties I had to endure. He also noted my inhibited communication style, which he encouraged me to adapt to a more aggressive one to get my make my contribution.

Collective Viewpoints

I learned that I am a relational person and a peacemaker. I tend to take things personally. I am also efficient and dependable. Being relational stood out as the most consistent trait I displayed in my group interactions. On the positive side, it provided team members with a safe environment. They felt that I cared about their feelings and I prioritized who they are above what we were to do. On the negative side, it made me too careful to be critical, making me ineffective as a group member because I was afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings. As a peacemaker, I always tried to avoid conflict and to keep the peace. This reduced my threshold for withstanding conflict even when the conflict was healthy.

The tendency to take things personally although not regular, still received many mentions. I feel that when I do this, I alienate people who are unable to reconcile my likable personality with the defensiveness I display when feeling personal. This trait has the potential of eroding all the gains made in making relationships work. I need to commit myself to work out ways of dealing with this trait so that it does not short-circuit my strengths.

I have also learned that it is apparent to the group members that I am an efficient and dependable person. There were several mentions of instances where I withstood challenges to deliver tasks on schedule. I also learned that these qualities make me a valued member of the teams. Group members admire my tenacity. I will continue to hone these qualities as I go on participating in team activities in the future.

Finally, I learned that I am both creative and analytical. Creativity came up at least twice in the assessment while the analytical trait got a single mention. However, many of the descriptions provided are consistent with an analytical person. These descriptions include, “thorough assessment”. Another allusion to it is being overly sensitive, which is a negative manifestation of this quality.

The SACC Performance Profile

With the benefit of the analysis above, I would like to state that under the SACC model my priority is ACCEPTANCE. I value people a lot and expect them to value my contribution in return. I have a strong sense of relationships and relational issues hurt me most. The next issue in order of priority is CONTROL. I have an incessant desire to keep my environment under control. I interpret conflict as a lack of control and therefore I do everything in my power to avoid conflict. I also go out of my way to diffuse conflict. This has its basis in the need for CONTROL. The third need in order of priority that I have under the SACC profile is SECURITY. I do not feel as strongly about my security in a position as I do about relationships and having some form of control over my environment. Finally, the last need under the SACC performance profile is COMPETENCE. Granted, I have shown a strong performance where I have been. However, this performance for me is a natural part of a commitment to people and agreements. For as long as we have agreed that I am responsible for something, I cannot bring myself to let the group down. I will do everything in my power to get the job done.

Conclusion

I have found this exercise extremely useful in finding out about my strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth as far as team participation is concerned. I am now clear on which areas of my profile require work. I understand the areas where I have a natural tendency to perform well and potential pitfalls. Through this exercise, I believe I have become a better person already because knowledge is power.

Introduction

Self-awareness is the ability to examine oneself from various points of view and offer criticisms. It involves the continuous observation of one’s qualities, actions and emotions and attempts to analyse them and improve. As such, self-awareness is critical for one to learn to improve without the need for continuous outside assistance. It is particularly crucial for leading positions, who have large responsibilities and significant power that enables them to make the choices they consider to be best.

The author currently lacks a sufficiently complete understanding of self-awareness to satisfy the demands of their profession. Moreover, the literature on the topic does not provide an adequate. This weakness can be problematic in their future work due to the associated inability to grow as a professional. As such, in Part A, they will research the concept by conducting a literature review and designing a practical study, and in Part B, they will present a storyboard that resulted.

Research Aim

This research aims to establish and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of self-awareness and the methods used its development to managers. The author currently lacks knowledge on the topic, which is concerning because of the possible dangers that may result. Management is complex and often requires competencies other than leadership for success, depending on the situation. However, in cases of both rapid successes and repeated failures, one is likely to stop growing and trying to adapt.

In the first case, it would be because the person is convinced of the superiority of his or her approach. In the second, it may be because the manager is convinced that his or her core management competencies are inadequate and focuses on them to the detriment of more important causes. Self-awareness can enable one to continuously evaluate oneself and determine what they can do in any situation to maximise success.

Research Context

This paper focuses on management, represented by the Chartered Management Institute, as its central topic. The profession involves leadership on all levels, starting with the oversight of a team and going to the exertion of control over large organisations (Zumitzavan & Michie 2015). As such, it is associated with significant responsibility and the potential for abuse by ill-intentioned actors. It is relatively easy for a person in a position of power to use it for personal advantage at the expense of other people. Moreover, a critical decision-maker may commit a severe mistake and jeopardise the livelihoods of numerous people if the organisation’s condition deteriorates as a result (Mead 2016). Overall, the management profession requires high competencies of the people who intend to succeed in it and achieve the best possible performance for the organisations under their oversight.

The CMI has an extensive set of standards that ensures its members are outstanding performers in the profession. This research will choose the three that are most suitable for its focus on self-awareness. Of the various standards featured by the Chartered Management Institute (n.d.), the most relevant are acting in the best interests of one’s stakeholders, developing and maintaining one’s professional competence and respecting one’s co-workers. With regards to the first trait, one should separate personal and professional interests and avoid letting the two overlap. In addition to understanding what their organisations need of them, managers should be able to understand the relationship between their abilities and those across the field. Many of one’s subordinates will not have the qualities required to perform the same task, which can create skewed comparisons from the manager’s viewpoint. Self-awareness can help one understand that those people are just as capable as the manager, though their abilities may lie in a different direction that is not accessible to the leader.

Overall, several of CMI’s central values are closely related to self-awareness, but the institution does not mention the concept explicitly. It leaves the specific efforts that are necessary to achieve these critical characteristics to the person. The author believes that the failure to feature a vital ability such as self-awareness is a significant weakness in the code’s design. It assumes that such knowledge is implicit and commonplace in the field, a supposition that is not necessarily true. Due to this lack, they will have to conduct additional research elsewhere and find a suitable method for the development of self-awareness. To do so, they will conduct a literature review with the aim of understanding self-awareness and its relevance in the field of management.

Literature Review

Self-awareness has many different definitions, which are typically split based on context, such as cultural or emotional applications. Gahagan (2015) mentions forms such as the awareness of private events, understanding of oneself as a public figure, knowledge of one’s value and the knowledge that one controls their actions. All of these aspects are relevant to a manager, and they should understand the many different expressions of self-awareness and use them to obtain an advantage.

As mentioned above, self-awareness has many specific features that are typically emphasised in specific literature. Bennett (2015) mentions cultural self-awareness, or the ability to review the various cultures to which one belongs critically. Mangal and Mangal (2015) highlight emotional self-awareness, which is the understanding of one’s emotional state at all times. There are also numerous other competencies, but they can generally be incorporated into one of the larger paradigms.

Self-awareness is known for its ability to improve one’s performance as a manager. As Sutton, Williams and Allinson (2015) claim, it enhances one’s general ability to work productively, particularly in the long term. It improves one’s well-being and the ability to communicate in the workplace, which is critical for a manager (Adigwe & Okoro 2016). Overall, self-reflection appears to be a highly beneficial method of improvement for core competencies for many professions.

One should embrace a particular methodology to improve their self-awareness comprehensively in a given time frame. However, as Rubens et al. (2018) claim, an extensive self-evaluation is required first before one can begin planning an improvement program. Frazier and Eick (2015) highlight the benefits of reflective journaling for learners when augmented by the multi-medium approach enabled by modern technology. Knapp, Gottlieb and Handelsman (2017) discuss the development of self-reflection during work through actions such as expressive writing. Overall, there is a multitude of methods from which one can choose the most suitable.

All of the research above is mostly theoretical and does not provide specific guidelines for how one may improve their self-awareness. As such, the review is not sufficient for one to grow as a professional. It is necessary to consider specific practical measures and implement them to create an upward trajectory. The section below provides the various findings generated in that process and outlines the study design.

Research Design, Methodology and Method

The goal of the study is to increase the author’s self-awareness, as it is currently not enough to satisfy the demands of their profession. To that end, the Gibbs reflective cycle will be employed as the primary method used to achieve these goals. It will be supplemented by two additional data collection practices, namely the 16 Personalities test and a questionnaire. These approaches will be used to obtain an outside perspective on the author’s abilities and compare them to their self-evaluation. The combination should help identify the issues regarding the researcher’s self-understanding and suggest avenues for improvement.

The 16 personalities test has resulted in the ESFJ-A personality type for the author, alternately known as the Consul. The concerns of this variety are a lack of flexibility and a reluctance to innovate (Your personality type is: consul 2020). With regards to the self-awareness questionnaire, the primary issues discovered were a weakness in reflective observation and abstract conceptualisation (Jones 2018).

As such, it is critical that the author continues self-reflecting and considering hypothetical scenarios and ideas. The Gibbs reflective cycle can be beneficial for the first aspect, but there is no preset framework for doing the second aspect, and the author will have to improvise. In doing so, they will continue improving upon the weaknesses of both their overall personality and self-awareness.

Methodology and Method

It is essential to understand the differences between various qualitative self-reflection methodologies when selecting one. Some of them may appear similar, but they are distinct and are used in different situations. Gibbs’ reflective cycle involves the six stages of describing the experience, recording it, evaluating it, analysing it, making a conclusion and creating an action plan for the possibility that the situation arises again (Sicora 2017).

The Gibbs cycle provides a useful and efficient framework of actions for reflection that is easy to understand and follow (Knott & Scragg 2016). As such, it is the best method for an introductory exploration of self-reflection and will be used in this paper.

The six stages of the Gibbs cycle warrant a description in more detail due to their potential overlap. The description stage involves an overall analysis of the situation, including the actors present and the events that occurred. The feelings aspect involves both the person’s emotions regarding the matter and their opinion of what others may have felt:

Shortly after the Internet discovered itself,
I set out to be an explorer; not of land and water,
but a finder of the odd and peculiar.
My first inclination
was to search for antiquarian artifacts,
but lacking the knowledge of said artifacts,
I thought to be a ‘picker’ and a junk collector,
or even a mildly addicted hoarder.
Knowing little of buying and selling,
and next to no space for storing anything,
I had to re-think the whole exploring business.
Lacking funds to travel far,
I commenced to explore myself.
Having only a limited aptitude for self-awareness,
I sought the aid of many spiritual agencies.
Lacking the sensitivity to receive their help,
I turned to drinking and writing poetry.
Lacking anyone else to blame but myself,
I determined to blame the Internet,
especially Internet Explorer (Ashford 2019).

In the evaluation step, one decides what went well or poorly and how one’s involvement affected the situation. The analysis stage takes these results and attempts to create an understanding of the reasons why events occurred as they have. The conclusion stage follows, where one summarises what one has learned from the situation and how it may have been improved. Based on these findings, the researcher formulates the action plan for actions they will take next time and the learning for the future that they will conduct to prepare (Beesley, Watts & Harrison 2018). They can then return to the description stage whenever another incident occurs, restarting the cycle.

The two supplementary approaches used are the 16 personalities test and the self-awareness questionnaire. The former is designed to evaluate one’s overall character and highlight specific strengths and weaknesses (Korgen 2015). Some of these aspects will be related to self-awareness, which makes the test helpful for the task (Cutrer et al. 2019).

However, it is still somewhat generalised, and a specialised self-awareness survey will be beneficial to enhance the results. It will address more specific aspects of the trait such as more abstract expressions and highlight in what aspects one is stronger or weaker. By combining the two tests, one can change their outlook on themselves and begin working on improvement.

Research Process

In the beginning, I did not know about management and the various methods I could employ to become better at it. I was familiar with CMI’s values and believed that I observed them accurately. However, I did not realise that there was potential for self-improvement because I considered these values to be static. As I learned about self-awareness, I realised that this approach was inadequate and that there was significant personal growth potential based on self-awareness.

In particular, self-reflection became a point of particular interest for me because of how it differed from what I would usually do after an incident. It involved several comprehensive theoretical frameworks that were simple but more elaborate than my disorganised methods. As such, I chose the Gibbs reflective cycle to try to enhance my self-awareness and learn from the events surrounding me.

I applied the Gibbs cycle to an incident at work where I was expected to arbitrate a conflict between two parties that supported different decisions. I found that I did not handle the situation adequately because I let my bias against risky proposals dominate the decision process.

In doing so, I disregarded the interest some of my subordinates had in distinguishing themselves and antagonised them. I should have been more clear with my reasoning and tried to mediate the dispute so that the party whose options was not chosen could be satisfied with the process. Next time, I will encourage a more open discussion and allow everyone to express themselves before the decision is made. To do so, I will work on my conflict management skills and try to communicate more openly in the future.

The cycle has identified some weaknesses, but it operates slowly, and other approaches can be used to develop self-awareness alongside it. As such, I have used the 16 personalities test and a self-awareness questionnaire to enable further self-analysis. The former has produced results that suggest I may have flexibility issues and am unwilling to innovate, which is consistent with the incident above. The latter claims I have reflective observation and abstract conceptualisation deficiencies.

These results are also in agreement with the incident, and they provide me with detailed information on what I should enhance. Namely, I should continue using the cycle and try to develop a more active imagination, being open to considering new ideas and thinking about concepts that do not have an immediate practical application.

In the future, I will try to apply what I have learned from this study in my everyday work and further self-awareness improvement attempts. I may choose to try a different methodology or method once I become more familiar with the field and can compare the advantages and disadvantages of other models. I will also be more vigilant in identifying problematic situations and the role I play in resolving or complicating them. I will also try to find ways in which I can apply myself to improve the performance of my team and prevent any problems from emerging. Overall, the introduction to self-reflection and the increased knowledge of self-awareness are the most significant benefits of this research.

Storyboard

Key Event

As mentioned above, the key event was a conflict situation at work where my subordinates disagreed on a project decision. The decision would affect the future operation of the project significantly, and the two were mostly incompatible. One was more traditional and less risky, and the other had better potential but was unusual for the company and may have been dangerous. I chose the first option almost immediately because I was only interested in smooth progress, and the first option would provide adequate results. However, the team members whose proposal was dismissed may have felt that I did not respect their opinion.

Who I Was

I was a manager who expected a reputation improvement and a possible promotion after this project’s successful conclusion. Outstanding results were not required in this project, but failure could damage my reputation significantly. As such, I had a strong preference for stable, low-risk options without realising it. Due to this bias, I dismissed the opinions of my team, some of whom were interested in distinguishing themselves by improving the project and suggested options that may have enabled them to do so. Moreover, I failed to explain my motivations due to my lack of self-awareness. I believed I was acting in the interests of the company, which was not necessarily the case.

Who I Am

Now, I understand the events and the motivations of the various other people involved. However, I am still much the same person and have not changed significantly. For example, I still support my decision because it aligns with my interests, which is the most important aspect for me. I understand that as a leader, I should protect the interests of the entire team, but I find the concept challenging to apply in this scenario. I only antagonised a part of the team, and the rest will support me because they have formulated the original decision that I chose. As such, the coherency of the group has been disrupted, and three distinct bodies have emerged within it.

Who I Want to Be

I want to be a person who can lead teams and have the other members’ trust that I will not put personal interests over theirs. As such, in situations such as this one, I will try to give both sides an equal opportunity to express themselves and reach a decision that satisfies everyone. I will use my authority to make the final choice if necessary, but I would like everyone to feel that they have been heard and that their opinion has been considered. A decision reached by overall consensus would achieve that goal better, especially if it were some form of a compromise reached through bipartisan discussion. To achieve this goal, I will have to be a better communicator and conflict manager.

Conclusion

Due to my lack of self-awareness, I was unable to understand my failing until I conducted a critical reflection. In the future, I will attempt to reach a more complete understanding of the situation and accommodate every team member as well as other interested parties.

Reference List

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Beesley, P, Watts, M & Harrison, M 2018, Developing your communication skills in social work, C&M Digital, Chennai.

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Chartered Management Institute n.d., Code of conduct and practice, Web.

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Self awareness questionnaire2020, Web.

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Your personality type is: consul 2020, Web.

Zumitzavan, V & Michie, J 2015, Personal knowledge management, leadership styles, and organisational performance: a case study of the healthcare industry in Thailand, Springer, Cham.

Introduction

Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Approach Theory to human development states that development of an individual is based on a number of factors, top of which is the immediate environment. He argued that interpersonal skills are very important for a person to realize self-actualization. A person would want to be accepted in the society. Generally, people feel good when they are appreciated. Any appreciation to one’s good work will always be interpreted as an appreciation of self. It is also true that people do not appreciate rejection or any negative comments towards them. When their work is rebuked or rejected by other people, they tend to own the rejection, and consider themselves unworthy. Such feelings can have adverse effect on individuals’ life, especially if people around them constantly subject them to rebuke and a form of rejection. One may be withdrawn, and feel a strong sense of self of self-rejection.

Children are the most affected group by this possible rejection from members of the society. It is at this stage that one experiences massive development towards maturity. It is also at this stage that one strives to be the ideal person in life if he or she becomes an adult. In fact, Merry (2002) says that at this young stage, the potential of an individual is limitless and can be used for greater success. During this tender age, one would define life path based on the factors within the environment. People around such an individual would play a major role in determining the path taken as one grows. It is important to note that at this early stage, people would want to be regarded positively by others, especially people who are in authority. This means that teachers play an important role in the development of a child. Ability of an individual to achieve self-actualization in life depends on the kind of childhood experiences one had.

When a teacher constantly encourages a child by telling it how intelligent and hardworking it is, the child would want to put more effort, not to perform even better, but to receive more praises. Such a child would grow up with confidence, always believing that all can be achieved as long as enough effort is put. On the other hand, when a child realizes that it is rejected among peers and people in authority, it gets withdrawn, and this hinders its normal experience. Teachers have the capacity to help such children who feel rejected aware of their untapped potential, and their capacity to deliver better results than their peers. This research paper seeks to demonstrate this by focusing on the personal experience of the researcher at this stage, and supportive theories from Carl Rogers on human development.

Description of the Incident

When I was in the elementary school, I had a teacher by the name Ms. Nora. She was our grade 5 teacher. When we first attended her class, she told us that she would care for all of us, and that her love for us was equal on all her learners. However, this proved not to be the case as soon as she got to know individual students in the class. I was one of the students who drew her attention very quickly, but in a negative way. I would sit right next to her, in front of the class. I was generally untidy, with clothes that were worn-out. She noticed that I was withdrawn, and avoided mingling with other students freely. She quickly developed a negative attitude towards me. She was keen to know my name so that she could award me the worst grades even before checking my assignments thoroughly. She not only considered me dumb in class, but also a clumsy child who could not easily mingle with other students.

This affected me so much. I did not have peace both at home and in school. At home, my mother was constantly under depression, especially after delivering twins who died soon after. She never gave the attention I needed to make me succeed in life. My father never gave me any inspiration, as he had no interest in my academics or general development. I was uncared for at home, and this explains why I was not as decent as other classmates were. In school, other classmates were indifferent towards me. It could be because of the fact that I was not presentable. I felt rejected, and this made me feel withdrawn from them. In my second and third grades, I always received encouragements from my teachers who made me work even harder. However, this was not the case in my fifth grade. My teacher always considered me as a student with lesser potential in class compared to others. She would give me grade ‘F’ and put it in red to emphasize its gravity. This affected me even the more. I was convinced that I was unwanted at school and at home. The poor grading that was given to my work always seemed to be a poor grading on myself.

This changed when Ms. Nora changed her perception towards me after reading the comments my previous teachers had made about the person in me. She quickly realized that I had a potential that was untapped because of the sense of rejection I had at school, and lack of proper care. She gave me very close attention from that day, and encouraged me to work harder. This acted as a motivation as I gained strength to work even harder. Her constant appreciation of my work, and the statements she would make about my untapped potential made me more determined to work hard. The main reason why I worked hard at this tender age was not to excel in my academics, but to earn praises from the teacher, and acceptance from my peers. I worked hard not to disappoint Ms. Nora who had come to appreciate that I had the potential to be successful just as other students.

I felt that I had the capacity to do it. This effort was boosted by the recovery of my mother from her depression. She also started giving me the moral support. For the first time after a very long time, I started feeling accepted both at home and in school. I came to realize that I was normal just as other students. I also realized that I had the capacity to achieve whatever was in my desires. As I progressed to higher grades, the positive remarks and constant encouragements I received from my grade 5 teacher remained clear in my mind. They were constant motivation, and a reminder that I had the potential to achieve success. I went through high school, to college, and currently I am taking my post-graduate degree, but the memory of my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Nora, has remained clear in my mind. I still consider her as my best teacher because she helped me realized my potential.

Description of Own Awareness

According to Roy (2011), self-awareness is always important in the process of personality development. This scholar says that in life, a person would have an ideal image of whom he or she wants to be in life. It is always important to have own awareness in order to be able to achieve self-actualization by becoming the ideal person. In the case presented above, it is clear that even at tender age own awareness is always a real experience and a determinant of personal development. One thought that would run through my mind was the fact that I was in a social class far below my classmates. I would compare my dress code with their and realized that mine were worn out and untidy. When it came to giving our teacher presents, mine was considered the worst. I felt the same because other classmates bought new items for the teacher, while mine was half-used perfume.

There was a strong sense of self-rejection, especially when I realized that I was worse in almost every aspect in class. Academically, other classmates would outperform me. When it came to dressing, my clothes were untidy and worn out. In giving presents to the teacher, mine was the funniest. I felt that I was drawing massive negative attention to myself, and this made me hate my personality. I felt that I was very far from achieving the ideal self. The self-withdrawal symptoms made the situation even harder. I had no close friend that I could share my feelings with and in most of the occasions, I felt out of place when classes were in progress. There were incidences when I felt like crying to myself because of the unfortunate situations I would find myself. I wanted to be appreciated by my peers, my teachers, and my parents. However, what I received from them was rejection, rebuke, and lack of concern. This would hurt my feelings.

There were also cases when I desired to feel loved. I desired to have friends who would accept me so that we could share personal experiences. This was also not forthcoming. This would make me breakdown. I felt that there were so many obstacles in my life that were hindering me from achieving happiness and satisfaction in life. My self-esteem was at its lowest during this stage of development. At times, I thought that I was wasting my time in school, as I was too dumb to achieve any academic success. I would go to school only to please my mother who was always under constant depression. I thought that one day she would come to appreciate the effort I was making in school. Once in school however, a strong sense of rejection would engulf me, making me yearn to be at home away from the presence of my peers and the teacher. In essence, I was neither comfortable at home or in school. This only changed when my teacher came to appreciate that I had potential to be successful in academics and in life. I suddenly felt my mind open-up as I felt that it was my time to be recognized. I felt happy listening to Ms. Nora shower me with praises in front of other students. A feeling that I am an academic giant would come during such praises. This feeling has remained in me since then, and has been the main driving force in all my academic endeavors.

Supportive Theories

Human development has attracted attention of many scholars across many fields in the educational sector. Psychologists have tried to explain some of the phenomena that always take place in the mind of a person. As Seeman (2012) observes, a doctor may be able to diagnose a problem in the brain, and even rectify it to make a patient feel better. However, understanding activities taking place in the mind of a human being has been beyond their scope. It is important to have a scientific explanation to the occurrences that took place in the researcher’s mind at her fifth age, and how this has come to influence her development, especially the academic life. Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, Maslow, and Carl Rogers have come up with psychological explanation of what takes place in the mind during a person’s development process. This research will be based on Carl Rogers’ Person-centered approach principles in an attempt to explain the above case scientifically.

Carl Rogers Personality Development

According to Freiberg (2009), the central theme to Carl Rogers’ Theory of personality is the concept of self. Self may be defined as the soul or the inner personality of a person that would dictate his or her actions and reactions to various environmental stimuli. In life, it is common for an individual to develop an ideal self. A person would try to achieve this ideal self by trying to behave in a manner that is in line with the ideal-self. This means that every actions that a person would engage in, there is always an attempt to reflect on what one considers ideal. However, if some environmental factors affect the possibility of achieving this, then one can end up reacting in a way that is contrary to ideal-self. This explains why the child felt withdrawn to herself and started underperforming. She was not a withdrawn person before experiencing rejection from people around her, but the prevailing environmental conditions made her react in a way that was opposite to her ideal-self. Self-concept to personality development has three components.

Self-esteem is the first component of self-concept (McCulloch, 2010). It always starts at childhood, and plays an important role in defining personality of an individual. Self-esteem, or self-worth as others would call it, is the general feeling one has about self’s value. It is always developed from a child’s interaction with the parents, teachers or peers at early stages in life. In the above case, the child lost self-esteem because of the poor interaction with parents, peers, and the teacher. However, this was regained when the teacher developed positive attitude towards her.

Self-image is another component of self-concept. It refers to how an individual perceives self in terms of a good or bad person. Self-image may change given different environmental settings. For instance, there was a moment when the child in the above case felt that she was untidy. This was a negative self-image that affected the way she behaved towards others, and how she felt about herself. In other instances, one may have positive self-image that would motivate him or her to act positively. In the case presented, the child came to realize that she had academic potential that could enable her succeed in life. This positive self-image motivated her to act positively, and this made her succeed in her subsequent classes.

Ideal self is the third component of the self-concept. It refers to the kind of person one would want to be in life. It entails one’s aspirations, taking into account the dynamism in life. Roy (2011) says that ideal self is always influenced by environmental factors, including such factors as level of exposure and academic achievements. This means that ideal self at childhood may change when one reaches adolescent stage. This may change further as one gets into adulthood based on the changes taking place in his or her life. In this case, the ideal self for the grade five girl was to be a decent girl who was acceptable to people around her. However, this changed as she grew up. She realized that she wanted to expand her knowledge, and therefore, decided to further her education.

Self-Worth and Positive Regard

According to Carl Rogers, children have two major needs in life, which is self-worth and positive regard from people around them (Roy, 2011). A child would perceive himself or herself based on the complements of people around them. A child who is constantly exposed to ridicule from people around it will develop poor perception of self-worth. Withdrawal mechanism will automatically be experienced as a self-defense mechanism against the harsh environment. Such a child would always associate itself with failures and unhappiness in life. This explains the behavioral pattern of the child in the given case. When people around this young girl subjected her to constant negative criticism, she developed withdrawal symptoms as a defense mechanism against the environment that had turned to be harsh.

However, this changed dramatically when the teacher changed her attitude towards her. The teacher developed a keen interest in helping her develop socially and academically. She started feeling respected, valued, loved, and treated with some form of affection. This positive regard made her realize that she was worthy in this class. The feeling was further enhanced by the change of the mother’s attitude towards her. This increased her self-worth perception. Her level of interaction increased as she realized that she was as normal as other students were in their class. This played an important role in defining her entire success in life.

Unconditional positive regard is always important in enhancing positive development of a child at early stages and even later in life (Valett, 2007). It refers to accepting and loving an individual for what she is irrespective of the prevailing situations. According to Rogers’ Personality theory, a child would thrive well in an environment where there is an unconditional positive regards. This is because such a child is given room to be creative. Any mistake done in the quest to be creative would not earn it any rejection. The young girl in this case lacked unconditional positive regard from her teacher at first. The teacher did not love her because of her low academic performance and untidiness.

Conditional positive regard on the other hand is only given on condition that an individual does what is considered as praiseworthy. In this case, a child would get approval and praises for their good deeds. As Kriz (2006) says, conditional positive regard should always be used alongside unconditional positive regard. This means that the parent or teachers should always have unconditional positive regard to all learners. However, when one of them does what is considered as exemplary, there should be additional positive regard in praise of the exemplary work done.

Congruence

In his personality theory, Carl Rogers talks about congruence between an individual’s ideal self and the actual experience of a person’s life (Schlosser, 2009). This theory states that after setting ideal self, a person would always try to act in a way that would be as close as possible to the ideal self. It is possible that the actual experience will not be congruent with the ideal self. However, closeness to the ideal self will determine how close one is towards achieving personal aspiration. Hitt (2008) says that in cases where actual life experience is consistent with a person’s ideal self, then the congruency would be considered to exist. However, in cases where there is lack of consistency between the two, then congruency will be considered as lacking. As a child, the young girl wanted to be successful in her academics not only as a way of succeeding in life, but also to please those who were in the immediate environment. Due to lack of positive regard from people in authority such as the parents and her teacher, her performance dropped significantly, and she earned ridicule from her teacher instead of the desired praises.

This made her drop even further in her academic performance. This means that there was lack of congruence between the ideal self and the actual self. This changed when the teacher and the mother came to appreciate her for what she was. This made her feel accepted, a fact that motivated her to move closer to her ideal self. She finally managed to excel in her academics. The fact that she has constantly kept in touch with her grade five teacher even after starting her post graduate studies means that she still lives to her childhood expectations of excelling in academics. It means that living by her childhood standards she has perfectly matched her actual life experiences with ideal self.

She has achieved perfect congruency, which can be considered as achieving self-actualization in life. However, it was stated that life aspirations are dynamic, and they change with changes in lifestyle, exposure, education and other environmental standards. This means that although she is considered to have achieved self-congruency by childhood standards, the current standards have set new life aspirations, making self-actualization a step away from her. However, with consistency, and positive perception towards self, it is possible to achieve congruency between the current ideal self and actual practices. She has maintained the motivation she received as a child from conditional and unconditional positive regards from the teacher. This has helped her at her later life development.

The Fully Functioning Person

According to Rogers’ Personality Theory, anyone can achieve his or her life aspirations and wishes. When this happens, self-actualization will be considered to have taken place. As Sassoon (2008) notes, not everyone has the capacity to self-actualize. This may be because of dynamic life aspirations or inability to work towards the desired success. A section of individuals fail to self-actualize because of their inability to work hard and achieve the desired success. On the other hand, some people have very dynamic goals in life that makes it impossible to reach the state of satisfaction. Those who are able to self-actualize are regarded in this theory as fully functioning people. This theory clarifies the fact that self-actualization is a process and not a completion. Given that the girl in the case has been able to start her post-graduate education may be considered as self-actualization by the earlier standards. However, the changing environmental forces means that this girl must work hard continuously in order to be able enjoy the state of self-actualization. This means that if an individual enjoying self-actualization fails to keep in touch with the dynamics in the external environment, then the state may be lost. In this theory, Rogers talk about five characteristics that a fully functioning person should have.

Open to experience is the first characteristic. In this regard, this theory holds that a fully functioning person should be able to accept both negative and positive emotions as they may come. Positive emotions should bring joy, while negative emotions should be worked on rather than developing defensive mechanism against them. The fifth grade girl was not a fully functioning person in this regard because she was unable to withstand negative emotions.

Existential living is the second characteristic of a fully functioning person. This involves being in constant touch with different life experiences as and when they take place. It involves living in the present, without any melancholy about the past or anxiety about the future. At this young stage, the fifth grade girl could not live in the present. She had to anticipate what the future had for her. This again proves that she was not a fully functioning person.

Trusting feelings is another characteristic identified in this theory. The theory holds that a fully functioning person will always trust his or her instincts and decisions. Such a person should trust self to make right choices in life. This is because of high esteem they have towards themselves. Although the girl got close to achieving this after the moral support she got from the teacher and her mother, her age still forced her to rely on the decision of the authorities at home and in school.

Creativity is the third characteristic of a fully functioning person. A fully functioning person does not evade risks in life by constantly playing safe. They make changes and strive to get new experiences in life that would make them better people, and their lives more fascinating.

Fulfilled life is the fifth and final characteristics of a fully functioning person. According to this theory, a person will be considered to have achieved self-actualization if he or she is satisfied and happy in life. Such a person should constantly be looking for new experiences and challenges in life.

Self-Actualization

The above five characteristics would define a person who has reached self-actualization state in life. A fully functioning person may be on his or her way to self-actualization, or have reached this stage. The defining factor of self-actualization is the realization of full congruence between the ideal self and actual behavior. This means that a person would be behaving in a way that he or she would want to in his or her mind. Rogers says that childhood experiences always determine ability of a person to self-actualize. The girl presented in the case may probably reach self-actualization if the academic trend is kept.

Conclusion

A number of environmental factors that an individual encounters in his or her daily life will always determines his or her personality. The presented case about a fifth grade girl who was almost loosing hope in life at an early stage is a clear demonstration of this. This girl lacked proper support from her mother. In schools, the teacher failed to give her positive regards that would have boosted her moral in life. The peers also considered her as the odd one, making her life at home and in school unbearable. This was reflected in her poor performance. However, when the teacher realized her mistake and changed her attitude towards her, her life changed completely. The more she received positive regard from the teacher, the more her academic performance improved. As Carl Rogers notes in his personality theory, children need constant positive regards from people in authority in order to stimulate their development. Parents and teachers play important roles in ensuring that a child remains constantly motivated as a way of making them successful in their lives and future development. Self-actualization is always determined by childhood experiences of a person.

References

Freiberg, H. J. (2009). Perceiving, behaving, becoming: Lessons learned. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Hitt, W. D. (2008). The model leader: A fully functioning person. Columbus: Battelle Press.

Kriz, J. (2006). Self-actualization. Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH.

McCulloch, L. A. (2010). A person-centered approach to antisocial personality disorder. New Jersey: Wiley and Sons.

Merry, T. (2002). Learning and being in person-centered counselling. Ross-on-Wye: PCCS Books.

Roy, L. (2011). Self-actualization and the radical gospel. Collegeville: Liturgical Press.

Sassoon, J. (2008). Self-actualization: Theory and technology. Montreal: Humanica Press.

Schlosser, C. (2009). The Person in education: A humanistic approach. New York: Macmillan.

Seeman, J. (2012). Personality Integration: Studies and Reflections. New York: Cengage.

Valett, R. E. (2007). Self-actualization: A guide to happiness and self-determination. Niles, Ill: Argus Communications.

Introduction

Since ancient times philosophers have tried to understand the purpose of a human being, why we are born, and why we live. Some believe that we must seek what we enjoy to acquire meaning for our lives. Others claim that committing our efforts for the benefit of society should be our ultimate goal to live a meaningful life. These beliefs are called subjective and objective, respectively, and are contrasted to a dual aspect approach, which proposes achieving both subjective and objective meaning simultaneously.

However, I believe that obtaining self-awareness is what fills our life with purpose. In this paper, I will discuss Susan Wolf’s and Richard Taylor’s ideas about meaningful living and consider how self-awareness fits into the context. While there are many objections to my viewpoint, I believe that self-awareness can help acquire a meaningful life not only for ourselves but for others as well.

The Meaning of Life

Susan Wolf’s Perception

Before proposing what life needs to become meaningful, Wolf asks what it means for life to have meaning. We know what life stands for, what it is, but we do not fully understand its purpose (Wolf 1). However, the question about purpose is also quickly answered if we consider the existence of God – if he exists, then he had the reason to create us; if he does not exist, then there is no reason why we exist (Wolf 2). Therefore, when we ponder the meanings of lives, we consider whether or not individual lives have sense.

Wolf slightly touches on the topic of subjective meaningful living – she claims that the subjective criterion is not sufficient to label life as meaningful. Instead, she proposes a different approach – life has meaning if a person is committed to a project that has positive intentions and at least partially succeeds at it. Wolf emphasizes that positive values do not need to involve moral values or anything similar (Wolf 7). Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that Wolf advocates for objectivity. She claims that achieving personal happiness does not equate to obtaining life’s meaning.

Richard Taylor’s Ideas

Richard Taylor suggests that people have struggled to understand the purpose behind life because it is challenging even to understand what it means to question life about its meaning. Therefore, he attempts to explain meaningful living by describing meaninglessness. He uses the popular myth of Sisyphus to aid his explanations. The tale is about a man who continuously rolled a boulder up a hill from where it went back to the bottom; Sisyphus had to repeat the action without stopping.

Taylor considers his life as meaningless because his actions do not result in a more significant outcome other than being repeated. Taylor emphasizes that the difficulty of the task and the amount of time needed to accomplish it are not relevant to the concept of meaninglessness (Taylor 3). Any activity, whether it is easy or difficult, whether it takes infinity or several minutes, is rendered meaningless if nothing comes out of it.

Taylor proposes two ways to make Sisyphus’s life more meaningful. First, his life can be considered meaningful if the stones he rolled up were later used to build something (Taylor 7). Alternatively, if Sisyphus enjoys the process of rolling boulders up the hill, his life can also be considered meaningful (Taylor 7). Therefore, it can be concluded that Taylor is the proponent of the dual-aspect approach to meaningful living. He thinks both personal happiness from the activities people do and useful results that are elicited from those actions can render life meaningful.

Meaningful Living

From the observations of Wolf and Taylor, it can be inferred that there are two aspects regarding meaningful living. The first aspect is concerned with how we perceive life, and the second aspect is about whether we consider life as significant and useful. Wolf claims that we should be more concerned with the meanings of individual lives, that is what values they generate, but Taylor believes that how a person perceives his life is also a crucial factor of meaningfulness. Comparing these two viewpoints, I can argue that Taylor’s idea is sounder because it is we who live our lives and not others.

We should strive for a tangible result when engaging in activities, but as long as these activities make us happy, we can claim that our lives have meaning. From this judgment, I can derive that the notion of self-awareness is extremely significant within the context of meaningful living.

Self-awareness and Meaningful Living

Importance and Benefits of Self-awareness

Self-awareness, because of how it is called, is often confused with consciousness. While the latter is the awareness of one’s body, life, and environment, self-awareness can be described as when the person acknowledges that awareness. When we are self-aware, we have a better understanding of our desires, feelings, thoughts, and character. People who practice self-awareness have the ability to control their emotions and understand their motives. Because meaningful living is partially comprised of our subjective view of happiness, self-awareness can be considered a critical part of understanding life’s meaning.

Examining oneself has many benefits, and the usefulness of this practice has been recognized by many philosophers and psychologists. It is common that we are better at advising others than benefitting from this advice ourselves. That is because understanding ourselves is the most challenging task to accomplish. However, by becoming self-aware, people will improve their emotional intelligence and listening skills, enhance their relationships and communicative abilities, and strengthen their critical thinking capabilities. The latter skill is significant when perceiving our life and understanding meaningfulness. By critically assessing our goals and desires, and understanding what activities bring us pleasure, we can decide what items convey meaning to our lives.

Self-awareness Preference vs. Dual-aspect Approach

Self-awareness should not be viewed as a subset of subjectivity or the dual-aspect approach, however. It is the person who sets his or her goals and sets standards by which generated values are labeled as either positive or negative. For instance, if, according to Taylor, rolling up boulders does not result in a more significant outcome, it does not necessarily mean that Sisyphus has the same opinion about it. Perhaps, Sisyphus has goals that Taylor could not fully understand. Therefore, the criteria proposed by Taylor is not sufficient to judge whether or not an individual life has meaning.

The same is true regarding the arguments of Wolf – her definition of positive value is based on her beliefs on what can be considered as positive and what cannot. Without understanding one’s consciousness, it is not possible to decide whether or not someone’s life has meaning because when we talk about positive values and goals, we rely mostly on our own subjective perceptions. In this context, self-awareness is significant because it allows a person to have an influence on how he or she is perceived.

Common Objections

There are common objections to the notion of self-awareness in the context of meaningful living. Some believe that other people view us differently regardless of how we see ourselves. However, by practicing self-awareness, we take more control over how we demonstrate ourselves to other people. For instance, if Sisyphus had practiced self-awareness, it would have helped him build a more accurate image of himself, and Taylor might not have perceived his life as meaningless.

Also, there are those who claim that self-awareness is selfish and does not benefit others. However, as it has already been mentioned, self-awareness helps improve emotional intelligence and listening skills. Emotional intelligence helps people be more empathetic and try to understand others’ feelings. Emotionally intelligent people are more capable of assisting others than people who do not know how to listen. Therefore, by becoming self-aware, you also acquire the ability to benefit others. Notably, by learning how to gain meaningful life, people can start helping others have meaningful living.

Conclusion

Life and its meaning are the subjects of many debates among philosophers and ordinary people. Some claim that meaningful living is constituted when our actions benefit people around us and society in general. Others believe that our subjective perception of happiness is sufficient to see our lives as meaningful. However, I believe that self-awareness is the most critical part of meaningful living because it helps us understand ourselves and our desires thoroughly while benefiting others.

Works Cited

Taylor, Richard. The Meaning of Life. University of Colorado, 1970. University of Colorado. Web.

Wolf, Susan. The Meanings of Lives. University of Colorado, 2007. University of Colorado. Web.

To become a professional nurse, one is to objectively their strengths and weaknesses in terms of providing care and interacting with professionals and patients daily. Such a phenomenon of recognizing one’s emotions and behavioral patterns is known as self-awareness (Grand Canyon University, 2018). When analyzing personal strengths, I can point out a high level of empathy. Indeed, after years of interacting with patients in general hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, I have learned that compassion comes a long way in providing quality care, as people need medical professionals to empathize with them to trust the treatment plans.

Another strength is the ability to take responsibility for my actions. Even when following someone’s advice or recommendations, I take full accountability for the decisions made, as I am the last person to justify a decision, and being influenced by others does not equal the responsibility divided between everyone taking part in the process. Finally, good communication skills are also one of my positive professional aspects, as I find it easy to find common ground with colleagues and patients through active listening and respect. However, to improve these aspects, it is vital not to become too invested in communication and compassion, as it may potentially affect my objective reasoning when working with patients.

As far as the weaknesses are concerned, the first major drawback would be the lack of autonomy. While I can take responsibility for my actions, it is difficult for me to decide without external assistance, as I often feel self-conscious and seek guidance from others. To improve this area, it would be beneficial for me to start believing in my professional intuition before making a decision instead of making sure I was right after hearing the same answer from other professionals. Another weakness is inflexibility, as I find it challenging to adapt quickly to a new environment to the extent required by the clinical setting. One way to combat this is to develop my skill sets to feel more confident when faced with a challenge. Finally, my behavior frequently lacks patience, which may lead to the patient outcomes being poorer than expected. A way to combat this issue would be to develop a habit of long-term perception of every decision made, as limited analysis of the decision’s implications may rush people into making immediate choices without seeing the options.

Reference

Grand Canyon University. (2018). Nursing leadership & management: Leading and serving [E-book]. Web.

To become a successful person or a successful manager, it is crucial to understand the importance of self-awareness. For hundreds of years, the understanding and knowing of the self are considered to be at the core of people’s behavior. If one wants to master themselves, it is important that he or she pays attention to self-awareness as self-management and other skills depend on and are closely linked to it.

For people to create direction in their own lives and understand themselves, it is necessary to clarify priorities and goals, develop self-control, and effectively manage time and stress. In this paper, I will reflect on how what I have learned from Chapter One applies to my personal life.

The first chapter has provided me with rather interesting information about the importance of self-awareness. Apparently, there are many popular methods and techniques that help to achieve self-knowledge and that people spend lots of money on. Some of them are meditation and yoga techniques, group methods, altered consciousness procedures, assorted massages, aromatherapy, biofeedback, and physical exercise regimens. After learning this, I decided to try yoga, meditation, and aromatherapy practices in order to develop my self-awareness.

Also, the information about the concept of the sensitive line seems to me rather interesting. “This concept refers to the point at which individuals become defensive or protective when encountering information about themselves that is inconsistent with their self-concept or when encountering pressure to alter their behavior” (Whetten and Cameron 58). Usually, people get and experience information that doesn’t quite or at all fit the way they think about themselves.

The strength of the defensive reaction depends on the discrepancy; if it is relatively minor, it is not likely to hurt and offend a person. However, if the information is very discrepant, and it affects one’s self-concept, it will approach the sensitive line closer, and the person will feel a strong need to defend himself or herself against it.

This information caught my attention because, some time ago, I used to feel that my self-esteem was hurt, and I needed to defend myself. Now I understand that it was only the difference between my self-concept and the way someone saw me. As it is important in management to be self-confident and discreet, in situations when something approaches my sensitive line, I will not show a strong reaction.

Work Cited

Whetten, David A., and Kim. S. Cameron. Developing Management Skills. Prentice Hall, 2011.

Introduction

Considering the modern environment of management characterized by tight schedules, people hardly get ample time to reflect on their perceived personalities, weaknesses, self-drives, individual values and habits and or strengths.

Though people present it with personal feedback from the subjects they manage, they do not always open up chapters of self-evaluation perhaps due the fact that honest feedbacks have little ability if any to cause a flatter (David, 2007, p.34).

As a result, only few people adopt steps geared towards creation of the spirit of self-awareness. Evaluating Self-Awareness will be conducted in this paper based on the results of the entire Self-Awareness Assessment in chapter one of Developing Management Skills.

Emotional Intelligence Assessment

Comparing the sum of the scores garnered in all the elements with results of typical standard emotional assessment test gives an indication of the measure of the degree of emotional intelligence. Upon conducting person evaluation based on the procedures established by David (2007, p.56) in chapter one of Developing Management Skills, I realized that my score was much far below the mean indicating that I ardently need to work on my emotional control, self-emotional diagnosis and emotional response.

Defining Issues Test

Defining issues test refers a tool used to force moral schemas into action and later assessing them based on importance of the judgments. The approach followed entangles reading a given moral dilemma and then ranking and rating the various statements on the moral dilemma according the order of moral importance.

The escaped prisoner, The newspaper and The doctor’s dilemma encompasses such moral dilemmas. After conducting self awareness test based on these dilemmas and following the David (2007, p.34) procedure outlined in chapter one of Developing Management Skills, I realized that in attempt to build better skills in analysis of some dilemma’s so as to make ample decisions, more effort on scrutinizing dilemmas based on moral awareness is deserved.

The learning style inventory

Learning style inventory refers to a self-awareness technique used to evaluate an individual’s learning style or rather the process of acquiring information. This helps an individual to evaluate his or her various learning alternatives but no aimed at classifying the person conducting the self-evaluation using the inventory. The results for this self-awareness test seem satisfying.

Locus of control inventory

Locus of control inventory is psychological test so designed to measure an individual’s locus of control and takes into consideration three essential elements: autonomy, external locus of control and internal locus of control. The inventory borrows from social learning theory.

Its results are normative scores in which “Persons with high scores on Internal Control and Autonomy are convinced that success in life depends on their own abilities and dedication and are sure that they can overcome adverse circumstances and solve complex problems on their own and are usually cheerful, positive, hopeful and optimistic” (David, 2007, p.30). The result of these test were ideally encouraging.

Tolerance of ambiguity scale

Tolerance of ambiguity scale is self-evaluation scale that helps to evaluate one’s capacity to tolerate the various levels of ambiguity. The test involves filling a set of questionnaires with responses: strongly disagree, slightly agree, moderately agree neither disagree nor agree, moderately agree and strongly agree (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002, p. 71).

After reversing all the event and old number and summing up the 16 items, my score was the well above 50. This indicated high level of intolerance to ambiguity indicating that I have to work a bit harder to perceive issues as promising rather than as a threat.

Core self-evaluation scale

Core self evaluation scale is opposed to tolerance to ambiguity scale has 12 questionnaires which are responded either as strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), neutral (3), agree (4), and strongly agree (5). On reversing score of the even numbers and replacing them with odd numbers, added up the results and found the mean by dividing by 12, the score was average (3.33) and lied within the bottom quartile.

Opportunities for growth

Conducting self-awareness tests is one of the vital strategies that help to unveil personal blocks and hindrances. On discovery of whether one is below or above the anticipated levels of self awareness a program aimed at fostering growth in self awareness may be worked for.

Tzu (2010) believe that understanding deviations from self awareness, “ gives you the opportunity and freedom to change those things you would like to change about yourself and create the life you want since Without fully knowing who you are, self acceptance and change become impossible” (Para. 1). Following through the strategies of self-awareness creation (attempting to discover personal weakness), amicably aids in overcoming conceived conceptual blocks that hinder self-awareness.

Existence of a positive relationship between personal values and business ethics is crucial especially by noting that failure to conduct self-evaluation sees an individual loose a crucial opportunity, which translates, to improved ability to make judgments coupled with the much-deserved opportunities for both personal growth and professional development in business management.

The ability to tolerate ambiguity is one of the vital areas, which have greatly affected my work especially the manner I evaluate other people opinions in relation to my strong affiliations. Development in this area is vital since, as Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) note, “Self awareness is essential first step towards maximizing management skills” (p.67). Being capable to tolerate ambiguity will definitely result to better relations between mangers and the subordinates.

References

David, A. (2007). Developing Management Skills. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Tzu, T. (2010). Knowing Others is Wisdom, Knowing Yourself Is Enlightenment. Web.