The Ideal Self, or the best possible version of oneself in the future has long been recognized as a salient force for a purposeful and positive life in philosophy. Recent research in the field of positive psychology has also shown the critical role of this concept in developing leaders who have a positive impact – both on themselves and on their team members.

Over the last several years, I have collaborated with other scholars in the field on a series of studies that have thrown light on this fascinating concept. In this post, I highlight five critical insights about the Ideal Self that can help everyone, but especially emerging leaders in leading purposefully and positively.

People have an inherent need for self-development, which often activates when they perceive a “discrepancy” between who they would ideally like to be and who they actually are (Boyatzis & Dhar, 2022). This is especially important for leaders in a world where there are numerous opportunities for both positive and negative feedback. Leaders who have a clear sense of their Ideal Self can find meaningful information in such feedback to initiate a process of intentional change. Those who do not, risk getting caught up in a purposeless pursuit of instrumental goals, eventually burning themselves out, as well as alienating their team members.........

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