Are you a self-aware leader?
Self-awareness can be described as the ability to understand your own feelings, and how that changes your behaviour and decision-making; and to recognise what effect you have on others. There is a lot going on between your ears, plenty of thoughts, both good and bad. This ultimately effects how you behave. Do you believe every thought you have? Are you aware of how you feel throughout the day? Do you know what triggers you and how to pause before reacting?
Emotions are contagious so if you are walking around spreading joyful inspiration and leading by example then keep it up. Self-aware leaders can quickly and easily tap into their emotions, take pause, and regulate before reacting. You do not have to remove all emotion it is the practice of being aware of how you are behaving and what impact that has on your environment.
Why is it so important?
The impact of having a self-aware leader can be significant to the culture of any team. Someone who is open and willing to share, approaches with curiosity, seeks to understand, listens and responds. These elements build high trust, improve communication and commitment of a team.
How do you become more self-aware?
Reflect on your interactions. Take a short break, think about what worked well and, what you could do different next time to potentially get a better outcome.
Ask for feedback from trusted sources, people who are close to you that will be open and honest. You could follow an informal or formal approach. Ask a few questions and take on the feedback, set up a survey or complete a facilitated corporate workplace/leadership survey assessment.
Write it down. Even the simple process of journaling, writing freely without over thinking grammar, spelling, remove all judgement and let it flow. Set a timer and write for 5 minutes. See what comes out on paper. Read over your writing and see if there are any themes. Are there any strong descriptive emotions?
Be present and mindful. Whenever possible your brain goes into autopilot mode to save energy, this means you are not always fully present. Practice mindful exercises to bring more ‘mindful moments’ to your day. Start with current activities in your day such as brushing your teeth. Notice the feeling on your teeth and gums, what can you taste, what can you see, can you smell the freshness of the toothpaste. Think about other areas you can bring mindfulness to your day.
Emotions play a huge role in your professional (and personal) life, stress and negative triggers can have a detriment effect on your performance in the workplace (and at home). This is where a higher level of self-awareness will help you to acknowledge and understand your emotions. Taking pause, noticing what is showing up for you, why you were triggered and how to reframe the situation will help to reactivate the part of your brain that makes rational decisions, so you can think clearly and make better sense of situations.
A self-aware leader understands themselves, their team and can easily motivate, reduce stress and uncertainty, to lead a more positive and healthy work environment.
What will you put some focus on today to help increase your level of self-awareness?