Raising Self Awareness

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Emotional Intelligence continues to be a really important topic and I think it is a huge differentiator between good Leaders and great Leaders. Self Awareness is one of the 5 core areas of Emotional Intelligence that Daniel Goleman has popularised. It is also a catalyst to high performance.

What is Self Awareness?

Being more aware of the impact you have on your environment is huge. Self-aware Leaders pay attention to what’s happening around them, they observe and listen, and pick up on cues and small things that make a difference to their team’s experience. Part of leadership is anticipation, seeing around corners, and mitigating risk. Self-aware leaders focus on using their awareness to their advantage and closing those gaps before they become bigger issues.

Why develop more Self Awareness?

• Introspection - being able to reflect on your own actions and behaviours when you make mistakes will help you uncover what went wrong and what you could do better next time. If you blame others or put it down to bad luck, you’re not learning, improving, or growing.

• Empathy - this is about building your awareness of the needs of others and what it might feel like to be in their shoes. Leadership is a people business. It’s all about people. If you don’t spend any time thinking about your people or their circumstances, you’re not elevating your awareness.

• Listening - a lot of people listen to respond, not to understand. Are you really listening attentively? Being more aware helps you to listen and when you do so really attentively you may hear things that may not have been said.

How do I increase my Self Awareness? Try these 5 Practices:

1. Journaling - regular journalling is a powerful form of self-awareness. Making notes and reflecting on your day has some huge benefits. This process should involve you asking yourself a series of questions and then making notes based on your thoughts. What went well today? What could I do better on? How did that make me feel? How is my progress towards my goals going? How could I have handled a situation differently next time? Avoid why questions, it causes us to become defensive or pull answers that we think are correct but really are just clouding our perspective. Where to journal? Try Pen and Paper or Apps: Notion or Day One.

2. Coaching - this can really unlock exceptional levels of growth. An effective Coach can open up your awareness and shut down a number of your limiting beliefs. Not only will a Coach challenge your beliefs and elevate your thinking, but they are also a great accountability partner to ensure you’re taking action and getting uncomfortable. Using the GROW model framework is an effective way to get specific on a goal and evaluate where you are and where you want to go, and what might be slowing you down.

3. Feedback - we all have blind spots. Sometimes we do stuff and it really annoys or frustrates people. We may well have the right spirit and intent, but we may have missed the perspective of our actions. Feedback is really important for this, you should be curious and ask your team to share feedback with you regularly. Try this one from Kim Scott: “Is there anything I could be doing differently to make your life easier?” Fostering a feedback culture in which you’re humble and open to critical feedback will not only improve you as a leader, it will improve your relationships tremendously.

4. One Thing at a Time - a lot of us are not being in the moment, we’re trying to do too much at once. We’re not being mindful or attentional. This can evident in our work when we’re trying to bounce around 5-10 different tasks at once, rather than doing one thing at a time and doing it well. When you’re doing one thing at a time and focusing on that item, you’re being more intentional and deliberate about it. You’re more aware and think a little more about your actions and the impact, rather than just ticking off your list and moving on to the next one.

5. Recovery - sometimes we just need to slow down to speed up. Taking time away from the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day is a great way to gain clarity. When you’re in the midst of your work your mind can be running on autopilot, so you’re not actually stopping to think and review if things are working or what you may need to focus on next. Taking breaks, holiday or even an offsite where you’re removed from your work is a great way to reset, get some quiet focus time, and really think about yourself and your environment.

I am hoping some of these ideas might help you. Self-awareness doesn’t just happen overnight, it needs to be a habit that you adopt and focus on all the time. Being in the moment more, spending more time thinking, and then being intentional with your actions will help you operate more effectively as a Leader.

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• Ted Talk - Increase your self-awareness with one simple fix by Tasha Eurich. Tasha talks about we believe we're self-aware, but in reality, the facts point to a more sobering truth. She has made a surprising discovery about human perception. In this illuminating talk, Eurich dissects common misbeliefs about introspective thinking and provides a simple way we can get to know ourselves just a little bit better.

• YouTube - Brandon Burchard - What Great Leaders Actually Do. When I discovered this video I was instantly glued. Brendan talks through the 6 Es of Leadership and what behaviors make us great leaders.

• Blog - Leaders vs Leaders of Leaders. Came across this blog that provided me with some value and great insight and I wanted to share. It uncovers the key differences in thinking and behaviour between a Leader leading individual contributors and a Leader leading other Leaders.

Quote of the Week

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