about Goethe and the paradox of self-awareness
"Many a man's reputation would not know his character if they met on the street." Goethe, Iphigenia auf Tauris (II, 1, 140)
"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." Goethe, Faust
It's very hard for people to see themselves as others see them. And very hard to be willing to hear other people's opinions of us. 360 assessments are probably the hardest and most courageous processes anyone can go through.
There's a paradox in that so many of us spend our lives trying to accept ourselves as we are and trust our instincts, yet also strive to improve ourselves and grow in self-awareness in part by observing our impact on other people. While it's important to be concerned about what others think of us, I also believe that there are so many people with so many opinions that we could go crazy if we tried to adapt ourselves to meet other people's expectations for us.
I've been in situations where my efforts to be self-aware and shift my behavior were seen as signs of weakness, as signs that I wasn't a good leader or visionary. I disagreed then and now, because to me, they were using an outmoded definition of leadership. At other times, those same people criticized me for NOT bending, not changing my stance, not adapting myself to their wishes. So I realized that I can only be who I am, and keep striving to improve according to my own timetable and abilities.
One great thing about getting an education (via reading, courses, talking with others) is that I have gained tools to use as I pursue my goals, tools that help me recognize for myself whether I am being visionary or managing well, etc. Also, for me, it's important that I keep listening to others while also relying on my inner self to gauge whether the feedback is accurate and/or whether I can/should/will do something with it.
"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." Goethe, Faust
It's very hard for people to see themselves as others see them. And very hard to be willing to hear other people's opinions of us. 360 assessments are probably the hardest and most courageous processes anyone can go through.
There's a paradox in that so many of us spend our lives trying to accept ourselves as we are and trust our instincts, yet also strive to improve ourselves and grow in self-awareness in part by observing our impact on other people. While it's important to be concerned about what others think of us, I also believe that there are so many people with so many opinions that we could go crazy if we tried to adapt ourselves to meet other people's expectations for us.
I've been in situations where my efforts to be self-aware and shift my behavior were seen as signs of weakness, as signs that I wasn't a good leader or visionary. I disagreed then and now, because to me, they were using an outmoded definition of leadership. At other times, those same people criticized me for NOT bending, not changing my stance, not adapting myself to their wishes. So I realized that I can only be who I am, and keep striving to improve according to my own timetable and abilities.
One great thing about getting an education (via reading, courses, talking with others) is that I have gained tools to use as I pursue my goals, tools that help me recognize for myself whether I am being visionary or managing well, etc. Also, for me, it's important that I keep listening to others while also relying on my inner self to gauge whether the feedback is accurate and/or whether I can/should/will do something with it.
posted by julieannerickson at 12:22 PM
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