What is self-awareness?

According to Business News Daily, self-awareness is the ability to accurately judge your own motivators, passions, triggers and emotions while also understanding how you react to others and how others are likely to react to you.

A team of psychologists from Harvard Business Review conducted their own study of 5,000 people and synthesized findings from over 50 years of research into self-awareness. Its findings are in line with the above definition, and broadly speaking, there are two main types of self-awareness: internal and external.

Below is an explanation of the different expressions of self-awareness and some pitfalls that hold leaders back from being truly self-aware.

Internal

Internal self-awareness describes your understanding of the passions and values that drive you and how they play out in any environment. This involves actively monitoring and managing your feelings and behaviors while having a clear view of your strengths and weaknesses.

External

External self-awareness is about understanding how others perceive you. Surprisingly, it’s common for people to possess one type of self-awareness without the other.

For instance, you might be so externally focused that you neglect your own goals and progress. On the other hand, you might be so internally focused that you limit yourself by not challenging your own views.

The best leaders know their strengths and weaknesses so they can fill in the missing spots, but they also seek feedback from external sources and practice empathy. Employees tend to be more productive for a leader with clearly defined goals whom the team views as empathetic and kind.

Common pitfalls of the self-aware leader

Being a great leader isn’t easy. It takes hard work, dedication and a ton of emotional intelligence. While it’s often said that experience drives progress, this isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to self-awareness as a leader.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways even the greatest leaders can end up chasing their tails.

Introspection

Introspection is about exploring the “why” in any given situation. Many thought leaders are drawn to this because reflection is so tempting for the human psyche. However, asking why often leads us to false conclusions because many actions are often driven by subconscious processes.

As such, asking why can be a route to rumination and unproductive thinking. Focus on how to resolve a situation instead of self-analyzing, and turn the past-focused “why” into a future-focused plan.

Power

Power inevitably comes along with leadership and authority. And as you become more experienced in a role, the level of power you have tends to increase. This is a major pitfall regarding self-awareness as a leader because the more you think you know, the less you ask questions and seek a second opinion.

Overconfidence is a huge hindrance for a leader who’s trying to be self-aware. As an authority figure, people are less likely to offer constructive feedback for fear of losing their job or because they automatically assume you know more.

The best leaders overcome this natural overestimation of their abilities by continually seeking feedback from stakeholders at all levels.

Characteristics of self-aware managers

Below are some of the characteristics most commonly found in leaders who are self-aware.

Maintaining focus

A self-aware leader doesn’t get distracted by their emotions or triggers when there’s a task at hand. With employees to manage, several ongoing projects, demands from shareholders and day-to-day duties, remaining on-task is more likely if you’re self-aware. By knowing yourself, you can always adjust your environment so it’s conducive to the current task.

Nurturing growth

While most people would agree that a certain level of authority is crucial in a leader, self-awareness is arguably more important. While fear and respect can be motivators for some people, positivity and nurturing are more effective for many.

By being self-aware, leaders can cultivate a nurturing environment where open communication is prioritized and productivity is high because staff are highly motivated.

Knowing limitations

One of the best traits for a leader is knowing your limitations. By being self-aware about your strengths and weaknesses, you can hire the right people to fill in your gaps and organize the team effectively. Conversely, if you think you can do no wrong and ignore instances where you make mistakes, there could be glaring problems with your operation.

Understanding communication

When it comes down to it, communication underpins everything that happens in business. Every campaign, success and interaction between your business and the outside world relies on some form of communication. If you understand yourself and how you come across to others, you’ll be better equipped to interact with customers, employees or executives.

Resolving conflict

Conflict resolution requires exemplary self-awareness, because when tempers flare, it’s easier to stoke the fire than put it out. De-escalation and negotiation require that you know how your words will impact others. What’s more, you need to understand the best language and behavior to use with different types of people to avoid making conflicts worse.

Leading from the top

One of the most important reasons to be self-aware as a leader is that your organization will inevitably reflect your leadership. If you’re hands-on, self-aware and hardworking, you have the best chance of getting the same from your team. If you tend to shy away from criticism or play the blame game, you’re likely to see this reflected in your workforce.

Benefits of being self-aware as a leader

Self-awareness is an important trait for anyone to possess, not just managers. It helps you navigate the world authentically and promotes self-improvement. As the old saying goes, you never stop learning, and being self-aware is the key to filling in gaps in your skills and knowledge.

Here are some more advantages of being self-aware as a leader:

• Minimize the impact of your weaknesses
• Set priorities properly and make better decisions
• Learn to not take feedback personally and use it for growth instead
• Maintain better professional relationships
• Implement healthy boundaries in the workplace by understanding strengths and limitations
• Communicate effectively by understanding how you come across to others
• Create a more productive and honest work environment
• Avoid looking hypocritical and resorting to lying or cheating

Why self-awareness as a leader is so important

The value of being able to observe yourself and your operation without judgment can’t be overstated. Knowing when a campaign or new product isn’t working and stopping it before it’s too late can be the difference between failure and success.

If your team can see something is wrong but you’re blissfully ignorant, not only can you lose money, but your reputation can also take a blow. Of course, it’s impossible to predict the future. But being self-aware, taking stock of risks and managing expectations will go a long way to promoting success.

Strategies for becoming more self-aware as a manager

Now that you understand what self-awareness is, it’s time to develop strategies to get better at it. Thankfully, self-awareness is attainable for anyone.

Let’s take a look at some strategies for enhancing self-awareness as a leader:

• Take the time to understand your feelings before you react to them. For example, if you’re feeling angry at a team member, consider if your emotion is relative to the situation. It could be that you’re tired, hungry or stressed because of something else. By putting space between your feeling and your reaction, you practice self-awareness.
• Seek feedback from people you trust and make sure it’s as honest as possible. Using constructive criticism for self-improvement is one of the best ways to foster self-awareness.
• Keep a journal of your thoughts, feelings and actions. This gives you the most accurate data about yourself. Be honest and don’t judge and you’ll get a clear picture of your development over time.
• Practice openness and curiosity so you’re always seeing things from different perspectives and don’t get locked into a viewpoint.
• Lead with your values, and make sure all communications and output reflect them.

Developing self-awareness might feel uncomfortable at first as you get used to actively seeking critical feedback and viewing yourself from an objective standpoint. However, the impact it can have on your professional relationships, the productivity of your team and the profitability of your company are undeniable.