Self Esteem and Team Performance – Post # 2 Self Acceptance
Continuing my discussion on the impact of Self Esteem on team performance, I’d like to discuss the 2nd pillar as defined in Nathaniel Branden’s book “the Six Pillars of Self Esteem” – Self Acceptance.
2. Self Acceptance
The willingness to own, experience, and take responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, and actions, without evasion, denial, or disowning — and also without self-repudiation; giving oneself permission to think one’s thoughts, experience one’s emotions, and look at one’s actions without necessarily liking, endorsing or condoning them. If we are self-accepting, we do not experience ourselves as always “on trial,” and what this leads to is non-defensiveness and willingness to hear critical feedback or different ideas without becoming hostile and adversarial.
Taking the “judgement” part out of understanding our own behaviour can have significant impact on our performance within a team and the team’s performance overall. Even individuals who are at the top of the scale for taking in constructive feedback still have troubles at some point but self acceptance would be the primary reason for the ability to hear and more importantly act on constructive feedback. So the key here is to have self acceptance, this will also make you more accepting if your team mates are not performing at peak performance.
To increase your ability for self acceptance, take time each week to reflect on your contribution/interaction within the team. Do not place a judgment on it, like it was a good contribution or it could have been better, simply reflect on your activities.
Do this for a few weeks and get comfortable with the acceptance. Then as a team mate to give you their observations of what contribution/interaction you had within the team. Once you get comfortable with the process yourself invite other team members to follow the same regime, you will see an impact on individual performance and an increased ability for team members to provide constructive feedback to each other. Simply by opening up the doors to self acceptance.
Lynn
