Not all managers and leaders are self-aware. I’m sure you’ve worked with some. They could be poor managers and lack self awareness. But they could also be good managers and lack it. It’s not the sole reason that someone is a good leader or isn’t a good leader.
But self-awareness seems to come into play and cause issues. If the leader seems out of touch it can lead to frustration and discourse with the team. It can also lead to a lack of change or growth that may be necessary for the organization to improve.
If you’re a manager and you’re thinking about self-awareness, here are a few thoughts.
1. Understand Your Intentions
Your intentions guide your decision making. The goal for a workplace is to get yourself and others aligned with what’s best for the organization. That’s not always easy. It’s a simple concept, though. You look for individual motivation and figure out a way to align it with the best direction for the company.
The problems arise when you aren’t aware of your personal intentions while working. It can lead to decisions that are better for yourself or your family and not great for the company or perhaps the employees. Short-term can take over for long-term.
Schedule time to determine what drives you. Find a way to align that with the company. And in many cases you want to communicate your intentions with your team. So they know and can anticipate where you’re coming from.
2. Schedule Self Assessments
I find that our lives fluctuate between long-term visions and daily habits. It applies to many things. A common one every year is weight loss. It’s a long-term vision. It’s exciting. We set the daily routine. Then we start the work. But it’s easy to fall out of the routine.
That’s why there is need for scheduled self assessments. For weight loss. But also for work. Little check ins to see how you’re doing. And in terms of self-awareness, it’s about looking back on your intentions and determining how you’re doing. Looking at the last period and assessing your performance.
3. Identify Trusted Opinions
You don’t want people around you that only give you praise. You also don’t want people around that will only criticize you. The balance comes in the middle. You want people that recognize both your good areas and those that need improvement. That’s constructive feedback.
Look for these folks in your life. You don’t need a lot. Perhaps one is your spouse. Or a parent. Or a sibling. Or a trusted long-time friend. Or it could be a coworker or someone else that you work with. That might be good because they see you in action. They can give their thoughts on your performance.
Seek these folks out from time to time. Schedule two meetings a year or perhaps yearly. Have a conversation about how you’re doing compared to your intentions. Look for both positives and negatives.
Conclusion
Self-awareness helps with multiple areas of leadership. It helps to build good relationships with employees. Because when they feel that you’re not aware of how you’re treating them or a situation it can lead to frustration. If they feel you’re acting in your own self interest only it can lead to every person for themselves. It’s just a bad situation. A few changes in habits can lead to better self-awareness and likely a better performance from the organization.