Honesty, drive and perseverance are all qualities of good leadership. But one of the key attributes that sets great leaders apart from good ones is self-awareness. The most successful and inspiring leaders are both introspective and self-aware. They foster a culture that builds and promotes trust, which results in happy and productive employees.
Self-awareness can help you, as a leader, understand what you bring to the role. It allows you to understand where you thrive and where you can improve. Self-awareness in leadership translates into having a conscious understanding of your character, behavior and motives, and how these things impact your leadership style and capabilities. Here are some ways to enhance your own self-awareness:
Question Yourself.
To jumpstart the process, there are a few key questions to ask yourself in an honest and unbiased manner:
- How trusting am I?
- How trustworthy am I?
- How do I behave as a leader when things don’t go as planned?
- How does my character impact my interactions with colleagues and employees?
- Are my motives aligned with the organization’s goals?
Answering these questions can help you determine how inspiring and effective you are, as well as where your growth edges may lie.
Seek Feedback.
Knowing yourself is not just an inside job. It can’t be. We all have blind spots when it comes to ourselves. As a result, it is wise (and sometimes scary) to seek honest feedback from trusted friends, colleagues, mentors and family members. Ask them for their true opinion on how you show up in various situations–and be sure to remain open, non-defensive and grateful for their willingness to share their perceptions. By gathering this feedback, you might see behavior patterns that you did not realize were there.
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses.
Feedback is only valuable if you put it to use. Are your straight-to-the-point interactions viewed in a positive light by employees or are they seen as abrasive? Does your high energy level motivate others or cause them anxiety? Do you criticize more often than you praise? Identify what you are doing well and what you could do better, and then work on improving in the areas that warrant your attention.
Keep a Journal.
The biggest obstacle on a journey of self-awareness is maintaining objectivity. Taking some time every day to write down how you feel, emotionally and physically, will give you a deeper understanding of internal triggers and how you respond to them. Be honest and skip the judgment. Regularly go back through your entries once a month and reflect on your experiences. This journal can be an excellent resource to help you chronicle your experiences and see your progress toward greater self-awareness.
How Can Innolect Help?
At Innolect, we help build the foundation for you to bring your best self to work, and we thrive on building high-integrity workplaces. The bottom line? We are committed to helping leaders develop and grow themselves, their teams and their organizations. Learn more about our approaches HERE.
To set up a consultation or training, contact us today. Additionally, our products and assessments help leaders develop the skills and capabilities needed to grow exponentially. Consider ordering our latest book for you and your team: Ignite Your Imagination: 21 Ways to Learn.
Contact us to schedule a consultation:
https://innolectinc.com/contact-us/
(803) 396-8500
innolect@innolectinc.com