Becoming Self Aware

I’ve just returned from speaking engagements in London and France where I was delivering retreat sessions for around 80 business leaders over a number of days. The focus was “who are you”. I believe self-awareness is at the heart of leadership growth and development. Carl Jung, the father of 20th-century psychology, states, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate”.

Yet, if you were to ask 100 leaders what the most important leadership skill is for the new hybrid workplace, you may get responses like: listening, vulnerability, EQ, humility. There have been many studies and articles with solid reasoning for developing all of those soft skills in leaders. Many of these abilities are based on one truly important attribute that accelerates our growth in most aspects of life: self-awareness.

Self-awareness is the ability to recognise and understand your emotions, values, beliefs, behaviours, passions, purpose. Self-awareness is an important element of leading from the inside out, giving you the best chance to show up each day as the best version of you.

Today, in the hybrid world of work, self-awareness is even more important. That’s because human connection is waning while building relationships based on trust and honesty is becoming harder as real-world interaction between a leader and his or her people is diminished.

Here are eight reasons why selfawareness is absolutely critical for today’s leaders:

1. Self-awareness enables leaders to cultivate an environment of inclusion and acceptance.

As humans, we are hard wired to seek belonging. By being open and honest about their own feelings, attributes and challenges, a leader is demonstrating through their own actions that they have created a safe place for their team members. Employees who know that their individuality, well-being and mental health are supported tend to have higher job satisfaction, therefore increasing the likelihood of retaining that employee. In fact, 89% of workers at companies that support well-being initiatives are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work.

2. Self-awareness helps leaders understand and use their superpowers. It enables them to acknowledge where they excel and how to apply their greatest skills to support their team to achieve their mission. They’re aware of how these strengths impact expectations – their own and the expectations of their people. This transparency allows teams to learn how to acknowledge each other’s strengths and work with their collective strengths to achieve results. Catching people doing things right doesn’t always come naturally to leaders but it is the magic that enables confidence to grow. We don’t all need praise, but we do need to feel valued.

3. Self-awareness helps leaders understand their biases.

Leaders who understand their own personal bias are clear about how these factors might impact their decisions and actions. Being self-aware also allows them to be more tuned into the needs, feelings and experiences of others. They are more committed to adapting their leadership style to meet the situation and the individuals involved.

4. Self-awareness helps leaders to be more understanding. It helps them to be more aware of the impact of their actions on those around them. They make decisions more thoughtfully and are more likely to consider the needs and perspectives of others. This is what I call social intelligence. SQ is the ability to step back to observe and notice the reaction of people or systems around you – to listen and read between the lines of communication to fully understand the person or the situation.

5. Self-awareness improves decision making.

That’s because self-aware leaders consider their own emotions and biases when making decisions. This is especially important in situations where their choices can have a significant impact on employees, the team and the organisation.

6. Self-awareness enables leaders to grow.

Self-aware leaders are more open to receiving candid feedback and pursuing self-improvement and more willing to change their leadership style to fit the needs of their team. When they are open about their limitations, they can commit to enhancing their skills and modifying mindsets and behaviours. By being open about weaknesses, they demonstrate vulnerability and become more relatable and trustworthy to those around them.

7. Self-awareness helps leaders keep their emotions in check.

Leaders who are self-aware are better able to recognise and manage their own emotions, which can help them respond more effectively to difficult situations and conflicts. This can improve their ability to lead and manage others as they’re better able to react to challenges or change in positive, less disruptive ways.

8. Self-awareness lets leaders build trust and credibility.

Self-aware leaders are more likely to be perceived as authentic, fair, trustworthy and credible by their employees. That’s because they’re able to recognise their own mistakes and limitations and are willing to acknowledge them openly. This honesty helps build trust and credibility with their team and stakeholders.

None of the above is rocket science but it does require focus and will, if pursued, deliver a mindset of lifelong clarity enabling us to consciously choose our own fate.