Self-awareness is an important, but often innate and rarely developed skill, that helps people to objectively understand their thought and behavior patterns as they relate to themselves and their engagement with others.
Despite many people believing to have well developed self-awareness, not surprisingly, in reality only 10-15% of people are sufficiently self-aware. Here we explore how continuing to develop self-awareness can help leaders to grow their impact and progress their career.
Why is self-awareness an important quality for leaders?
“In an organisational context, self-awareness must be a key component of human capital development at all levels and the foundation for successful leadership,” explains Nona Sichinava, a Partner for Gerard Daniels. “It allows people to recognise and acknowledge their own strengths and weaknesses, limitations and motivation. Self-awareness is also an essential part of emotional intelligence that helps people to understand how they can grow; how they are likely to act and react in certain situations; how they impact those around them.”
Making better career choices
People who are self-aware usually have a good understanding of what they bring to their work environment; the cultural fit and management style they are best suited to; how they react in stressful conditions; and what incentivises them to excel. This knowledge shapes their career choices and allows them to apply themselves in the right ways, for the right organisations and in the right roles.
“Knowing where you fit is key to performing well, but it requires a good understanding of your own unique skills, attributes, motivators,” says Nona. “As much as self-awareness helps people to make the right choices, equally importantly, it helps them to avoid making the really bad choices. That’s why it’s ok to let certain opportunities pass by, when the role, or the organisation does not feel like a good fit.”
Understanding the environment, level of authority or function in which you thrive, is another important part of self-awareness. “Some individuals know that they perform better as contributors rather than as team leaders; in delivery rather than advisory roles; or as Executives rather than Board Directors,” says Nona. “This fit can also change as skills experience and attributes evolve, which is why developing self-awareness should be an ongoing journey.”
Leading more effectively
Self-awareness is an important skill in any leadership role, because to know yourself you must understand how you relate and compare to others.
“Self-aware leaders understand their own strengths and weaknesses. They also recognise the blind spots that are holding them back and who they need to surround themselves with to complement these gaps,” says Nona. “Self-awareness also helps people to adapt their communication and leadership style to lead more effectively and empathetically, balancing the needs of individual team members with the needs of the organisation.”
Growth mindset
When it comes to mentoring and coaching, only self-aware individuals are genuinely coachable. “As you need self-awareness to be open to transformation, organisations will only see a return on the investment into executive coaching with this type of professional,” says Nona.
“When an individual cannot recognise their own shortcomings, they are more likely to deny or take offence to feedback than to learn from it – a mindset that limits their development and improvement as a business leader,” Nona continues. “Self-aware leaders tend to be more open to feedback and capable of acknowledging the need for improvement – attributes that allow for growth, development, and work well in coaching and mentoring environments.”
How to develop your self-awareness as a leader
Explore your strengths and your weaknesses
To grow your self-awareness, you must be open to exploring not only the good, but the bad and the ugly too. “Knowing your strengths lets you play to them, but knowing your weaknesses allows you to develop yourself and to build a team that can support you in these areas,” says Nona. “When you can understand and communicate your limitations, you also open yourself up to a greater diversity of perspectives and input from others, which broadens your thinking; improves your decision making; enhances your credibility as a leader; and helps to earn the trust of your team.”
Be real
Self-awareness is a particularly important quality when recruiting for talent, as it cannot be faked and with the right questions it can easily be detected during the interview process. As a leader, self-awareness also helps you to minimise bad hiring decisions by understanding the human capital issues and the types of personalities that fit well within your team.
“When I am screening candidates, I will often ask where an individual thinks they might need support and development, based on the position description and their experience,” says Nona. “This can be a tough question to answer for anyone that lacks self-awareness, but what candidates do say here can be quite insightful. This question also serves as a reminder not to shy away from talkingstrategically about your weaknesses and areas of development.”
Know thyself
Self-awareness evolves as we mature and never truly stops. “Self-awareness helps you to recognise your strengths and weaknesses and appreciate when blind spots are holding you back,” Nona reflects. “The sooner you start to seek this understanding, the sooner you and your team will benefit from it.”
To develop the capability of your leadership team, connect with Nona or reach out to your local Gerard Daniels team.
