FTMBA, Year 1,

Trim 1
MST

Managing Self and teams:

Ideal Self Assignment

Name: Harshit Misra

Roll no: A064
SAP ID: 80512000023
Faculty: Dr. Amita Shivhare
 Ideal Self Assignment

Course: Managing Self and Team

FTMBA, Year I, Trim I, 2020-2021

1. In the VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) business

world, what would be your idea of an Ideal Self (the type of person you
would ideally like to be)? Why?

The Self-Concept talks about individual perceptions that we have of our of abilities,
characteristics and behaviour- producing a mental picture of who we are as a person.
Not only is it a collection of beliefs about oneself but it also embodies the answers to
“Who am I?”. In the present day world which is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and
Ambiguous, it becomes even more important to understand all the traits thar are part of
your Ideal self or how you wish you could be.

Based on our learnings and experiences in life we can build an idealized version of
ourselves which is known as the Ideal self. It represents who we want to be. I believe
an Ideal Self in the VUCA world encompasses the following:

a) Existential Living: My Ideal self should live fully in the present moment. He is
able to embrace challenges, creativity and excitement without getting
overwhelmed.

b) Flexible and ever evolving: My Ideal self is not fixed, and he keeps evolving
constantly by taking in new experiences and information. Not only does he love to
partake in new experiences, but he can change from their learning from those
experience. Only by understanding my emotions and by making a conscious effort
to grow as a person will I be able to achieve my full potential.

c) Increasing organismic trust: My Ideal self will be able to trust his own judgments
and to choose the appropriate set of actions and behaviour for every situation.

d) Reliability and constructiveness: My Ideal self should be somebody who can be

trusted to act constructively in any situation. Even if aggressive needs arise which
are a prevalent situation in an increasingly VUCA world, I should be able able to
balance it with intrinsic goodness.

P a g e 1 | 16
 e) A Rich Full Life: My Ideal self should see a balanced lifestyle filled with joy and
pain, love and heartbreak, fear and courage

f) Freedom of choice: My Ideal Self will not be restricted by incongruence and will
be able to make a wide range of choices more frequently. As somebody who feels
responsible for his own behaviour, he will make his decisions with freedom and
responsibility.

g) Creativity: My ideal self will be more creative in the way it adapts to its
circumstances without needing to conform to Society’s beliefs and pressures.

2. How would this Ideal Self be different from your Current Real Self?
Why?

To understand the nature of incongruence between my Ideal self and current real self,
I looked at the following self-assessments or models:

1. Big Five Personality Model – OCEAN

This model basically tries to describe a person’s personality using five main
dimensions:

a) Openness to Experience – refers to the tendency of people to welcome change.

It distinguishes the imaginative, curious and creative people from down -to-earth,
conventional people.

b) Conscientiousness – related to the way in which we control, regulate, and direct

our impulses. Highlights the qualities of being dependable, self-disciplined,
thoughtful and organized.

c) Extraversion - marked by positive energy, sociability and assertiveness.

Extraverts enjoy being with people, are full of energy and display positive
emotions. Introverts are low on exuberance and energy, and are quiet, low-key,
deliberate, and disengaged from the social world most of the times.

d) Agreeableness - reflects individual differences in regards to cooperation and

social harmony. Agreeable individuals love to get along with others and are
friendly, considerate, generous, Fand helpful. Disagreeable people keep self -
interest above others and are indifferent, unfriendly, and uncooperative.

e) Neuroticism – refers to the tendency to think negative and experience unpleasant

emotions such as anxiety and anger.

P a g e 2 | 16
 To assess my personality traits, I gave the personality test for Big Five Personality
Model and scored as follows:

a) Openness

As shown above, I scored highly on openness to Experience. But I found some areas of
improvement within this domain that can help me reach my ideal self. I gathered the following
insights:

• Level of imagination is a bit low which suggests that I prefer facts to fiction.
• Score on Liberalism can be improved as it is just on the average side as of now
• Good understanding of my own feelings
• High level of Artistic interests and Emotionality
• Score can be improved in Adventurousness and Intellect
Comparison
Understanding and comparing myself to the ideal self, I strongly feel that I need to improve
slightly on Adventurousness and intellect. The ability to embrace change and to be flexible in the
VUCA world is an important characteristic. An ideal self does not rely on the conventional
methods and is able to think out of the box when faced with issues. I need to work hard to enhance
the level of imagination that will enable me to thrive under uncertainty to find out of the box
solution to the challenges I face.

b) Conscientiousness

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As shown above, my score for conscientiousness is low. There are a number of areas where I
still need to improve so as to be close to my ideal self. I gathered the following insights from
the model:
• Low level of self-efficacy that describes confidence in one’s ability to accomplish things
• Low level of orderliness suggesting a disorganised and scattered lifestyle
• Average level of dutifulness
• Average score on Achievement striving meaning I am content with doing minimum order
of work to get by and hence I might be seen as lazy by others.
• Ability to persist at difficult or unpleasant tasks is high
• Average level of consciousness
Comparison
If I investigate what is required in order to work towards my ideal self with regards to
conscientiousness, a lot of work is required in areas of Self Efficacy, Achievement Striving,
Orderliness, Dutifulness and Cautiousness.

c) Extraversion

I secured a high overall score on extraversion, suggesting that I am sociable, energetic, lively
and outgoing. Following observations were seen:
• High Level of Friendliness
• Average level of Gregariousness meaning I sometimes avoid large crowds and gathering
and prefer to have a private lifestyle
• High Level of Assertiveness
• Average Activity Level

P a g e 4 | 16
• Average level of Excitement-seeking
• Average level of cheerfulness meaning I feel an average level of high spirits and energy
Comparison
Overall, I scored highly on Extraversion, but some areas of improvement existed in comparison
to my Ideal self in Activity Level, Excitement seeking, Gregariousness and Cheerfulness. As
somebody who looks forward to be an active speaker I specially have to work on improving my
Gregariousness and Excitement seeking while in order to keep my myself healthy I need to
improve my activity levels.

d) Agreeableness

I secured an average score on Agreeableness, suggesting that I have some concerns with other
people’s needs. This means that generally I am not willing to sacrifice myself for others.
Following observations were seen:
• Average level of trust
• Average level of morality meaning I take a practical approach to dealing with people
• High level of altruism
• High level of cooperation
• Average level of modesty
• Average level of tender mindedness or Sympathy
Comparison
If I compare myself to the ideal self in VUCA world in terms of attaining and maintaining
popularity which comes from being agreeable, some work is required to improve in this area. I
need to work on improving the level of Modesty and Sympathy I possess because I believe that
empathy is a very important component of the world, we live in. But I believe that in a VUCA
world its necessary to have a high level of trust and morality for an ideal self, keeping in
consideration that not everyone is looking after our best interests.

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 e) Neuroticism

I secured a low overall score on Neuroticism, suggesting that I am calm, composed and
thoughtful. In most circumstances, I am prone to not reacting with intense emotions, even to
situations that most people would describe as stressful. Following observations were seen:
• Average level of anxiety
• Low level of anger
• Low level of depression
• Level of self-consciousness is low suggesting I care less about what people think of me and
I am comfortable around people.
• Average level of immoderation meaning there are some temptation to overindulge
• Low level of vulnerability meaning I am poised, confident and clarity when stressed
Comparison
If I compare myself to my ideal self in terms of being apprehensive of the uncertainties in the
world, I fare well on this parameter. Clarity of thoughts exists that is important in the complex
world where we live. Stressful situations do not suppress me to deviate my goal of achieving
success and I persevere with positivity. But some work can be done in order to bring down level
of anxiety and immoderation which will bring calm, composure and control to reach my ideal
self.

2. Locus of Control
(refer annexure 2 for inventory)

Locus of control refers to what an individual believes about the extent of control they have
over the events in their life.

When I assessed myself using the inventory for Locus of Control, I scored a total score of 7.
This means that I have a moderate level of Locus of control. Though I have a largely internal
locus of control but at times I tend to blame external factors for the situations and experiences
in my life.

Comparison
Considering an Ideal self for the VUCA world, a high level of Internal Locus of Control is
required as we are now in a world where we need to take onus of our own upskilling and

P a g e 6 | 16
 development. In a world that is volatile, turbulent, uncertain and complex, an individual needs
to be confident to deal with any shortcomings and challenges. If I take up a task, I need to be
accountable for every phase of it. Outside forces of fate and circumstances will remain a
challenge for everyone, however, we need to be confident enough to take up ownership of my
tasks. Looking at the Inventory, I found out that contrary to what would be my Ideal self, I
believe that people cannot change the fate of society. This is a part of my thinking that needs
to change. Every individual has the capacity to impact society in there own ways and hence
through changing our own thinking and those of people around us, we can influence the
society towards the right direction.

3. Johari Window Model

(refer Annexure 1 for inventory)

Johari Window is a simple tool used to enhance the individual’s perception of others. This
model is primarily based on two ideas
• Trust can be built by revealing information about ourselves to others
• Learning about ourselves through others’ feedback

This model is used for the following:

• Understanding and Training Self Awareness
• Understanding Personal Development
• Improving Communications and Relationships

On taking up the inventory for Johari window, here is how my Johari Window model looked
like:

Solicits Feedback (30)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Willingness to self-disclose/Gives

10 Open blind
feedback (28)

15

20

25

30

35

40

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 45 hidden unknown

50

On analyzing my Johari window, the following things were seen:

• The open area was large, but it could be further improved

• The Hidden area could be decreased by further self-disclosure
• There were some blind spots that were known by others but were unknown to me
• The unknown area also required some work in terms of self-discovery

Comparison:
1) In trying to compare my Self-Image with my Ideal self it was found that I required to be
more forthcoming about my feeling and emotions. It is okay to keep deep-seated
emotions hidden but at times a lot of hidden information is not very personal such as
work related or performance related information and hence it is better to have these parts
positioned in the open space.
2) To increase the congruence of my Ideal-self and self-image, I should be more open to
soliciting feedback. The blind area is like an ignorance about oneself and hence care
should be taken to reduce it.
3) To reach my Ideal-self, I need to investigate my unknown self. Through self-discovery,
many positive and useful facets of my personality could be revealed which were
unknown to my current self.

3) What would it take for you to develop this Ideal Self?

For becoming one’s Ideal self the following things need to be considered:

a) Acceptance: Acceptance is the foundation ground for reaching an Ideal self. It’s
important knowing who you are today and fully accepting this person (Self -image),
that is when one can start making a trudge towards becoming a better version of one’s
self. Acceptance is also about acknowledging all the imperfections and limitations in
current self / behaviour, at the same time giving due regard to traits which one is
pleased with.

b) Knowing your ideal self: Knowing your ideal self is as important as Accepting. We
should be able to create a detailed picture / description of our ideal self which should
compromise of beliefs, qualities and behaviours as well as how to tackle any particular
situation. Having Role models is adroit as it provides clarity and can act as catalyst to
the kind of person we want to become.

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c) Commitment and consistency: Commitment and consistency is the key to achieve
any goal, whether it your life goals or an accumulation of all your goals towards
becoming an ideal self. Setting momentum and working every day towards achieving
something from a detailed vision list plays a vital role in long run. As Lau Tzu puts it
“Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished”.

4) What would be the best way to manage this Ideal Self?

Ideal self is a representation of how one aspires to be in the current situation and in the
foreseeable future. Given both the situations, i.e. current position and the future
trajectory, keep on evolving, ideal self needs to be constantly assessed and tested.
Furthermore, our understanding of what is ideal can also evolve with our experiences
which also warrants constant assessment of ideal self to ensure it best fits in all the roles
a person plays in different stages and aspects of life. While core virtues that are
foundation of ideal self may remain broadly intact, its application in evolving
situations, responsibilities and roles of life need to evolve.

This constant chase of current self to attain ideal self is path for self-actualisation. Ideal
self is an image which needs to push us to remain on constant move to better ourselves.
To ensure this ideal self remains a moving milestone, one needs to be open to outside
feedback, self-criticism, pursuing changing role models in different aspects of life, self-
acceptance and keeping this self -evolving virtuous loop running. One also needs to
flesh out character of this ideal self in different situations. As said earlier, while core
virtues may remain broadly unchanged, their application in tough and conflicting
situations brings out the character of ideal self. For example, while one’s ideal self
might entail friendliness as a virtue but how one applies it in a leadership role where
one might need to be disciplined and occasionally carrier of bad news.
So, in summary, managing ideal self requires:

a) Being open to all potential inputs: It is imperative to be a listener and feedback

taker. A person who cannot listen to other people’s input cannot grow.

b) Defining your ideal self: Ensuring that the character of the ideal self is well defined
as situations and experiences in life evolve is the key to moving to in the direction
of self -actualisation. Your ideal-self also evolves as the situation changes.

c) Dynamism: It is also important to realise that this pursuit of ideal self is a path
towards self-actualisation which is not a static physical situation (as it keeps on
evolving) but takes us closer to our potential blissful state of mind.

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References:

Serial APA Citations

No.

1) McLeod, S. A. (2014). Carl Rogers. Retrieved from

www.simplypsychology.org/carlrogers.html

2) Lumens (2017). Human Perspectives on Personality. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/humanistic-
perspectives-on-personality/

3) McLeod, S. A. (2008). Self concept. Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-concept.html

4) Baumeister, R. F. (Ed.) (1999). The self in social psychology. Philadelphia, PA:

Psychology Press (Taylor & Francis)

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 Annexure:

1) Johari Window Model Inventory for Harshit Misra:

1) If a friend of mine had a “personality conflict” with a mutual acquaintance
of ours with whom it was important for him/her to get along, I would:

5 A. Tell my friend that I felt s/he was partially responsible for any
problems with this other person and try to let him/her know
how the person was being affected by him/her.
B. Not get involved because I wouldn’t be able to continue to get
along with both of them once I had entered in any way.
2) If one of my friends and I had a heated argument in the past and I realized
that s/he was ill at ease around me from that time on, I would:

3 A. Avoid making things worse by discussing his/her behaviour

and just let the whole thing drop.
2 B. Bring up his/her behavior and ask him/her how s/he felt the
argument had affected our relationship.
3) If a friend began to avoid me and act in an aloof and withdrawn manner, I
would:

3 A. Tell him/her about his/her behavior and suggest that s/he tell
me what was on his/her mind.
2 B. Follow his/her lead and keep our contact brief and aloof since
that seems to be what s/he wants.
4) If two of my friends and I were talking and one of my friends slipped and
brought up a personal problem of mine that involved the other friend, of
which s/he was not yet aware, I would:

2 A. Change the subject and signal my friend to do the same.

B. Fill my uninformed friend in on what the other friend was

talking about and suggest that we go into it later.
3

5) If a friend of mine were to tell me that in his/her opinion, I was doing

things that made me less effective than I might be in social situations, I
would.

P a g e 11 | 16
 5 A. Ask him/her to spell out or describe what s/he has observed
and suggest changes I might make.
0 B. Resent his/her criticism and let him/her know why I behave
the way I do.
6) If one of my friends aspired to an office in our organization for which I felt
s/he was unqualified, and if s/he had been tentatively assigned to that
position by the leader of our group, I would:

2 A. Not mention my misgivings to either my friend or the leader of

our group and let them handle it in their own way.
3 B. Tell my friend and the leader of our group of my misgivings
and then leave the final decision up to them.
7) If I felt that one of my friends was being unfair to me and his/her other
friends, but none of them had mentioned anything about it, I would:

4 A Ask several of these people how they perceived the situation

to see if they felt s/he was being unfair.

1 B Not ask the others how they perceived our friend, but wait for
them to bring it up with me.

8) If I were preoccupied with some personal matters and a friend told me that
I had become irritated with him/her and others and that I was jumping on
him/her for unimportant things, I would:

4 A Tell him/her I was preoccupied and would probably be on

edge for a while and would prefer not to be bothered.

1 B Listen to his/her complaints but not try to explain my actions

to him/her.

9) If I had heard some friends discussing an ugly rumor about a friend of

mine which I knew could hurt him/her and s/he asked me what I knew
about it, if anything, I would.

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 3 A Say I didn’t know anything about it and tell him/her no one
would believe a rumor like that anyway.

2 B Tell him/her exactly what I had heard, when I had heard it, and
from whom I had heard it.

10) If a friend pointed out the fact that I had a personality conflict with another
friend with whom it was important for me to get along, I would:

1 A Consider his/her comments out of line and tell him/her I didn’t

want to discuss the matter any further.
4 B Talk about it openly with him/her to find out how my behavior
was being affected by this.
11) If my relationship with a friend has been damaged by repeated arguments
on an issue of importance to us both, I would:

1 A Be cautious in my conversations with him/her so the issue

would not come up again to worsen our relationship.
4 B Point to the problems the controversy was causing in our
relationship and suggest that we discuss it until we get it
resolved.
12) If in a personal discussion with a friend about his/her problems and
behavior s/he suddenly suggested we discuss my problems and behavior as
well as his/her own, I would:

2 A Try to keep the discussion away from me by suggesting that

other, closer friends often talked to me about such matters.
3 B Welcome the opportunity to hear what s/he felt about me and
encourage his/her comments.
13) If a friend of mine began to tell me about his/her hostile feelings about
another friend whom s/he felt was being unkind to others (and I agreed
wholeheartedly), I would:

2 A Listen and also express my own feelings to him/her so s/he

would know where I stood.
3 B Listen, but not express my own negative views and opinions
because s/he might repeat what I said to him/her in confidence.

P a g e 13 | 16
14) If I thought an ugly rumor was being spread about me and suspected that
one of my friends had quite likely heard it, I would:

4 A Avoid mentioning the issue and leave it to him/her to tell me

about it if s/he wanted to.
1 B Risk putting him/her on the spot by asking him/her directly
what s/he knew about the whole thing.
15) If I had observed a friend in social situations and thought that s/he was
doing a number of things which hurt his/her relationships, I would

3 A Risk being seen as a busy body and tell him/her what I had
observed and my reactions to it.
2 B Keep my opinion to myself rather than be seen as interfering
in things that are none of my business.
16) If two friends and I were talking and one of them inadvertently mentioned
a personal problem which involved me, but of which I knew nothing, I
would:

4 A Press them for information about the problem and their

opinions about it.
1 B Leave it up to my friends to tell me or not tell me, letting them
change the subject if they wished.
17) If a friend seemed to be preoccupied and began to jump on me for
seemingly important things, and became irritated with me and others
without real cause, I would:

4 A Treat him/her with kid gloves for a while on the assumption

that s/he was having some temporary personal problems which
were none of my business.
1 B Try to talk to him/her about it and point out to him/her how
his/her behavior was affecting people.
18) If I had begun to dislike certain habits of a friend to the point that it was
interfering with my enjoying his/her company, I would:

3 A Say nothing to him/her directly, but let him/her know my

feelings by ignoring him/her whenever his/her annoying habits
were obvious.

P a g e 14 | 16
 2 B Get my feelings out in the open and clear the air so that we
could continue our friendship comfortably and enjoyably.
19) In discussing social behavior with one of my more sensitive friends, I
would:

2 A Avoid mentioning his/her flaws and weaknesses so as not to

hurt his/her feelings.
3 B Focus on his/her flaws and weaknesses so s/he could improve
his/her interpersonal skills.
20) If I knew I might be assigned to an important position in our group and my
friends’ attitudes toward me had become rather negative, I would:

3 A Discuss my shortcomings with my friends so I could see

where to improve.
2 B Try to figure out my own shortcomings by myself so I could
improve.

Solicits Feedback Willingness to Self-Disclose/Gives

Feedback
2B 2 1A 5
3A 3 4B 3
5A 5 6B 3
7A 4 9B 2
8B 1 11B 4
10B 4 13A 2
12B 3 15A 3
14B 1 17B 1
16A 4 18B 2
20A 3 19B 3
Total 30 Total 28
>> to top axis >> to left axis

2) Locus of Control Inventory for Harshit Misra

INCREASE YOUR SELF-AWARENESS: ASSESS YOUR LOCUS OF CONTROL
Instructions: Read the following statements and indicate whether you agree more with choice A
or choice B.
A B

P a g e 15 | 16
 1. Making a lot of money is largely a matter of 1. Promotions are earned through
getting the right breaks. hard work and persistence. …….
.
2. I have noticed that there is a direct 2. Many times, the reactions of
connection between how hard I study and teachers seem haphazard to me.
the grades I get. …….
3. The number of divorces indicates that more 3. Marriage is largely a gamble.
and more people are not trying to make their …….
marriages work.

4. It is silly to think that one can really change 4. When I am right I can convince
another person’s basic attitudes. others. …….

5. Getting promoted is really a matter of being 5. In our society, a person’s future

a little luckier than the next person. earning power is dependent upon
his or her ability.
…….

6. If one knows how to deal with people, they 6. I have little influence over the
are really quite easily led. way other people behave.
…….

7. The grades I make are the result of my own 7. Sometimes I feel that I have
efforts; luck has little or nothing to do with little to do with the grades I get.
it. …….
8. People like me can change the course of 8. It is only wishful thinking to
world affairs if we make ourselves heard. believer that one can readily
influence what happens in our
society. …….

9. A great deal that happens to me is probably 9. I am the master of my fate.

a matter of chance. …….
10. Getting along with people is a skill that 10. It is almost impossible to figure
must be practiced. out how to please some people.
…….
1B, 2A,3A,4B,5B,6A,7A,8A,9B and 10A

7 SCORE
1) B 6) A
2) A 7) A
3) B 8) B
4) B 9) A
5) B 10) A

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The Self-Concept talks about individual perceptions that we have of our of abilities, characteristics and behaviour-
producing a mental picture of who we are as a person. Not only is it a collection of beliefs about oneself but it also
embodies the answers to “Who am I? ”. In the present day world which is VUCA, it becomes even more important to
understand all these traits especially those that are part of your Ideal self or how you wish you could be. Based on
our learnings and experiences in life we can build an idealized version of ourselves which is known as the Ideal self.
It represents who we want to be. I believe an Ideal Self in the VUCA world encompasses the following: a) Existential
Living: My Ideal self should live fully in the present moment. He is able to embrace challenges, creativity and
excitement without getting overwhelmed. b) Flexible and ever evolving: My Ideal self is not fixed, and he keeps
evolving constantly by taking in new experiences and information. Not only does he love to partake in new
experiences, but he can change from their learning from those experience. Only by understanding my emotions and
by making a conscious effort to grow as a person will I be able to achieve my full potential. c) Increasing organismic
trust: My Ideal self will be able to trust his own judgments and to choose the appropriate set of actions and behaviour
for every situation. d) Reliability and constructiveness: My Ideal self should be somebody who can be trusted to act
constructively in any situation. Even if aggressive needs arise which are a prevalent situation in an increasingly
VUCA world, I should be able able to balance it with intrinsic goodness. e) A Rich Full Life: My Ideal self should see a
balanced lifestyle filled with joy and pain, love and heartbreak, fear and courage f) Freedom of choice: My Ideal Self
will not be restricted by incongruence and will be able to make a wide range of choices more frequently. As
somebody who feels responsible for his own behaviour, he will make his decisions with freedom and responsibility.
g) Creativity: My ideal self will be more creative in the way it adapts to its circumstances without needing to conform
to Society’s beliefs and pressures. 2. How would this Ideal Self be different from your Current Real Self? Why? To
understand the nature of incongruence between my Ideal self and current real self, I looked at the following self-
assessments or models: 1. Big Five Personality Model – OCEAN This model basically tries to describe a person’s
personality using five main dimensions: a) Openness to Experience – refers to the tendency of people to welcome
change. It distinguishes the imaginative, curious and creative people from down-to-earth, conventional people. b)
Conscientiousness – related to the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Highlights the
qualities of being dependable, self-disciplined, thoughtful and organized. c) Extraversion - marked by positive
energy, sociability and assertiveness. Extraverts enjoy being with people, are full of energy and display positive
emotions. Introverts are low on exuberance and energy, and are quiet, low-key, deliberate, and disengaged from the
social world most of the times. d) Agreeableness - reflects individual differences in regards to cooperation and social
harmony. Agreeable individuals love to get along with others and are friendly, considerate, generous, Fand helpful.
Disagreeable people keep self-interest above others and are indifferent, unfriendly, and uncooperative. e)
Neuroticism – refers to the tendency to think negative and experience unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and
anger. To assess my personality traits, I gave the personality test for Big Five Personality Model and scored as
follows: a) Openness As shown above, I scored highly on openness to Experience. But I found some areas of
improvement within this domain that can help me reach my ideal self. I gathered the following insights: • Level of
imagination is a bit low which suggests that I prefer facts to fiction. • Score on Liberalism can be improved as it is just
on the average side as of now • Good understanding of my own feelings • High level of Artistic interests and
Emotionality • Score can be improved in Adventurousness and Intellect Comparison Understanding and comparing
myself to the ideal self, I strongly feel that I need to improve slightly on Adventurousness and intellect. The ability to
embrace change and to be flexible in the VUCA world is an important characteristic. An ideal self does not rely on the
conventional methods and is able to think out of the box when faced with issues. I need to work hard to enhance the
level of imagination that will enable me to thrive under uncertainty to find out of the box solution to the challenges I
face. b) Conscientiousness As shown above, my score for conscientiousness is low. There are a number of areas
where I still need to improve so as to be close to my ideal self. I gathered the following insights from the model: • Low
level of self-efficacy that describes confidence in one’s ability to accomplish things • Low level of orderliness
suggesting a disorganised and scattered lifestyle • Average level of dutifulness • Average score on Achievement
striving meaning I am content with doing minimum order of work to get by and hence I might be seen as lazy by
others. • Ability to persist at difficult or unpleasant tasks is high • Average level of consciousness Comparison If I
investigate what is required in order to work towards my ideal self with regards to conscientiousness, a lot of work is
required in areas of Self Efficacy, Achievement Striving, Orderliness, Dutifulness and Cautiousness. c) Extraversion I
secured a high overall score on extraversion, suggesting that I am sociable, energetic, lively and outgoing. Following
observations were seen: • High Level of Friendliness • Average level of Gregariousness meaning I sometimes avoid
large crowds and gathering and prefer to have a private lifestyle • High Level of Assertiveness • Average Activity
Level • Average level of Excitement-seeking • Average level of cheerfulness meaning I feel an average level of high
spirits and energy Comparison Overall, I scored highly on Extraversion, but some areas of improvement existed in
comparison to my Ideal self in Activity Level, Excitement seeking, Gregariousness and Cheerfulness. As somebody
who looks forward to be an active speaker I specially have to work on improving my Gregariousness and Excitement
seeking while in order to keep my myself healthy I need to improve my activity levels. d) Agreeableness I secured an
average score on Agreeableness, suggesting that I have some concerns with other people’s needs. This means that
generally I am not willing to sacrifice myself for others. Following observations were seen: • Average level of trust •
Average level of morality meaning I take a practical approach to dealing with people • High level of altruism • High
level of cooperation • Average level of modesty • Average level of tender mindedness or Sympathy Comparison If I
compare myself to the ideal self in VUCA world in terms of attaining and maintaining popularity which comes from
being agreeable, some work is required to improve in this area. I need to work on improving the level of Modesty and
Sympathy I possess because I believe that empathy is a very important component of the world, we live in. But I
believe that in a VUCA world its necessary to have a high level of trust and morality for an ideal self, keeping in
consideration that not everyone is looking after our best interests. e) Neuroticism I secured a low overall score on
Neuroticism, suggesting that I am calm, composed and thoughtful. In most circumstances, I am prone to not reacting
with intense emotions, even to situations that most people would describe as stressful. Following observations were
seen: • Average level of anxiety • Low level of anger • Low level of depression • Level of self-consciousness is low
suggesting I care less about what people think of me and I am comfortable around people. • Average level of
immoderation meaning there are some temptation to overindulge • Low level of vulnerability meaning I am poised,
confident and clarity when stressed Comparison If I compare myself to my ideal self in terms of being apprehensive of
the uncertainties in the world, I fare well on this parameter. Clarity of thoughts exists that is important in the complex
world where we live. Stressful situations do not suppress me to deviate my goal of achieving success and I
persevere with positivity. But some work can be done in order to bring down level of anxiety and immoderation which
will bring calm, composure and control to reach my ideal self. 2. Locus of Control (refer annexure 2 for inventory)
Locus of control refers to what an individual believes about the extent of control they have over the events in their
life. When I assessed myself using the inventory for Locus of Control, I scored a total score of 7. This means that I
have a moderate level of Locus of control. Though I have a largely internal locus of control but at times I tend to
blame external factors for the situations and experiences in my life. Comparison Considering an Ideal self for the
VUCA world, a high level of Internal Locus of Control is required as we are now in a world where we need to take
onus of our own upskilling and development. In a world that is volatile, turbulent, uncertain and complex, an
individual needs to be confident to deal with any shortcomings and challenges. If I take up a task, I need to be
accountable for every phase of it. Outside forces of fate and circumstances will remain a challenge for everyone,
however, we need to be confident enough to take up ownership of my tasks. Looking at the Inventory, I found out
that contrary to what would be my Ideal self, I believe that people cannot change the fate of society. This is a part of
my thinking that needs to change. Every individual has the capacity to impact society in there own ways and hence
through changing our own thinking and those of people around us, we can influence the society towards the right
direction. 3. Johari Window Model (refer Annexure 1 for inventory) Johari Window is a simple tool used to enhance
the individual’s perception of others. This model is primarily based on two ideas • Trust can be built by revealing
information about ourselves to others • Learning about ourselves through others’ feedback This model is used for
the following: • Understanding and Training Self Awareness • Understanding Personal Development • Improving
Communications and Relationships On taking up the inventory for Johari window, here is how my Johari Window
model looked l On analyzing my Johari window, the following things were seen: • The open area was large, but it could
be further improved • The Hidden area could be decreased by further self-disclosure • There were some blind spots
that were known by others but were unknown to me • The unknown area also required some work in terms of self-
discovery

Sources
How to Thrive in a VUCA World | Psychology Today
Jul 31, 2017 — We refer to them as the learning agile. Because demands on us are changing ev 25%
ery day, the behaviors that carried us through yesterday are not ...
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/spotting-opportunity/201707/how-thrive-in-vuca-world