Awareness

What is it?

Self-awareness is crucial for business leaders because it enables them to understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. By developing self-awareness, business leaders can make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and lead more effectively.  

Higher self-awareness is good for leaders, but in itself it won’t lead to different actions or outcomes. Managing self-awareness is often a challenge for us; we can be overly critical, anxious, or procrastinate when we have feelings of fear and doubt.

We can also double-click on different types of awareness, for example:

  1. Situational awareness: to see, feel and understand what is happening in a situation and adapt in the moment

  2. Social awareness: to recognize the differences in the feelings, emotions, behaviors and motivation of others

  3. Cultural awareness: understand the values, beliefs, and behaviors of other cultures and sue this awareness to adapt your own style

Self-awareness involves:

  1. Internal Awareness: Understanding personal values, motivations, strengths, and limitations.

  2. External Awareness: Recognizing how one’s behavior affects and is perceived by others.

  3. Emotional Regulation: Identifying and managing emotional triggers.

  4. Authenticity: Aligning actions with personal values and beliefs.

In leadership, self-awareness is foundational to building trust, fostering collaboration, and creating a culture of openness and accountability.

How might you develop it?

First of all, I like to onboard all my clients thoroughly with an in-depth questionnaire used in an early interview. This generates higher awareness of past and present for both client and the coach. 

Reflection is at the heart of probing what is going on, to build a deeper sense of awareness. For example, I don’t feel I handled that situation very well, to what was going on, why did I act as I did, and what might I have done differently? Through speaking, sharing, reflecting and reconsidering, we deepen our awareness, increasing the likelihood of us having clarity. Having more clarity will lead to making better choices, and conviction on our choices, helps us be more intentional.

There are other tools that help us increase awareness: 

  1. Coach Feedback: A coach can provide you with honest, empathic and constructive feedback about your behavior, communication style, and leadership approach. This can help you identify blind spots and areas for improvement

  2. Stakeholder Feedback: We often suffer from a lack of constructive feedback. Interviewing a range of stakeholders can help in going deep into perception and dynamics that when done effectively leads to higher level of awareness, appreciation, support and partnership

  3. Reflection: A coach can help you reflect on your experiences and emotions, and gain a deeper understanding of your own thought processes and behaviors. I frequently hear “I value a sounding board”

  4. Journaling: Note taking at a coaching session and in-between sessions aids memory, builds clarity and demonstrates attention. Attention is a key factor in both raising awareness and taking positive action

  5. Assessment tools: Coaches can use various assessment tools and techniques to help you gain insight into your personality, leadership style, potential, strengths/weaknesses, and how they all may be impacting your leadership

  6. Goal-setting: A coach can work with you to set goals that are aligned with your values and vision for the organization, and help you stay accountable for achieving those goals. Accountability is a key factor for us to take awareness into positive action

Support from Coach and The System: An executive coach can provide you with support and guidance as you navigate complex challenges and decisions, and help you develop the resilience and self-awareness needed to overcome obstacles and setbacks. The Coach can also work the “System” to enroll more empathy and support from others.

Key References and Research on Self-Awareness

  1. Books:

    • "Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman: A seminal work exploring self-awareness as a key component of emotional intelligence.

    • "Insight" by Tasha Eurich: Offers research-backed strategies to deepen self-awareness and its role in leadership success.

    • "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer: Provides tools for cultivating mindfulness and internal clarity.

    • "Dare to Lead" by Brené Brown: Highlights the importance of vulnerability and self-awareness in courageous leadership.

  2. Key Research:

    • Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Model: Self-awareness is a foundational component influencing empathy and social skills.

    • Harvard Business Review Studies: Research shows that self-aware leaders drive better organizational outcomes and foster employee satisfaction.

    • Korn Ferry’s Leadership Research: Identifies self-awareness as a critical predictor of executive success.

  3. Publications:

    • Harvard Business Review: Articles like "The Value of Self-Awareness in Leadership" explore its impact on decision-making and team dynamics.

    • McKinsey Quarterly: Discusses how self-aware leadership drives adaptability in complex environments.

    • Psychology Today: Features insights into the role of self-awareness in personal and professional growth.

  4. Podcasts:

    • "The Knowledge Project" by Shane Parrish: Episodes explore introspection and mental models that enhance self-awareness.

    • "The Tony Robbins Podcast": Focuses on strategies to develop personal insight and growth.

    • "HBR Ideacast": Episodes like "Becoming a More Self-Aware Leader" provide actionable tips for cultivating self-awareness.