Leaders who lack self-awareness often do not realize they are communicating poorly, which can result in missed deadlines, failed projects and frustrated employees, according to www.fastcompany.com. It is crucial leaders develop self-awareness to ensure they communicate effectively to maintain productivity and engage, inspire and retain their employees.
Self-awareness is defined by how clearly you see yourself and how accurately you understand how others see you. Although most people believe themselves to be self-aware, a study referenced in a Harvard Business Review article showed of nearly 5,000 participants studied, only 10-15% qualified as self-aware.
Following are tips to help ensure you are a self-aware leader.
- Get feedback. Regular feedback from supervisors and from people you lead is important, so you do not see only what you perceive to be true.
- Review your successes and failures. Reflect on what you did when you were successful and what was different when you were not successful to see whether patterns emerge so you can learn from them.
- Strive for continuous self-improvement. Keep learning—it will remind you that you are not an expert at everything and will keep you humble.
- Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation—even 10 minutes per day—has been shown to increase focus and allow people to pay better attention to what is happening in the moment. It enables leaders to be better listeners and more easily concentrate on the matters at hand.
- Take an assessment. There are many assessments, such as the Energy Leadership Index, that can help you identify what you do not know or cannot see in yourself.
As a leader, it is important to continue to develop your self-awareness, which helps to motivate your employees, communicate your strategy and build relationships that support your company’s success.
