Are you as self-aware as you think?
Be honest.
Most of us think that we are already self-aware, yet we all have blind spots that impact how we work within our teams. Healthy self-awareness = healthier team = long-lasting career.
Self-awareness is having a clear understanding of your personality traits, your values and beliefs, and your strengths and weaknesses. The more power you hold in your job, the more likely you have lost compassion and the ability to notice the impact you have on others. Lead host on a morning show perhaps? Bigtime PD with all the answers?
You are most likely to lack self-awareness if you have too much confidence, a lack of humility and the tendency to dismiss ideas from people with less authority than you.
Quiz: Is this you?
1. People get irritated with you and you don’t know why.
2. People work around you or leave you out.
3. You have troubled relationships with colleagues whom everyone else loves.
4. Your staff never seems excited or enthusiastic. Non self-aware people are draining to work for, because they often lack compassion, always need to be right or don’t know how to play well with others on a tea
So how do you build self-awareness?
First, take inventory. Look at any personality tests you’ve taken (Strengthfinders is a good place to start) and make a beeline for the traits at the bottom. These are your weaknesses. You need to own up to them and minimize their impact on others.
Next, practice self-reflection. Use a journal, meditation, centering prayer practice or other intentional time set aside. It doesn’t have to be formal -- maybe you just take five minutes in the car on the way home from work to think for a few minutes. Create a checklist of questions for yourself, like: What am I doing that is working? What is slowing me down? How did I lead? How did I follow? What did I learn?
And when you’re ready, ask your inner circle for feedback. Yikes, hearing the truth can be tough. Encourage honesty. What can I do to be a better [leader/teammate/collaborator/etc]? What am I missing?
And if you’re working on changing something, ask your circle to call you out if you continue the behavior you’re working on.
Hat tip to Michael Hyatt’s Lead To Win podcast – Four Practices to Become a Self-Aware Leader.