Self-awareness is critical for leaders to learn and grow. Understanding your values, competencies, accomplishments and those behaviors or beliefs that have (yes) worked against you is the first step on your journey to becoming the leader only you can be.
A good way to become more self-aware is through feedback – inviting others to be open and honest about your strengths and development areas – and by completing one of the many available assessment tools.
Self-awareness, however, is just the first step. The next step is what you do with that information. It’s great for you to be aware that a certain behavior – impatience, for example – is holding you back, but unless you make a conscious decision to do something about it you’re missing an important growth opportunity. That’s where self-reflection comes in.
You have to move beyond “I yam what I yam.”
We live in a culture obsessed with the need to be busy DOING and rarely give ourselves a chance to pause for some productive THINKING. And yes, thinking is a form of productivity. It can lead to creative ideas, new ways to approach a problem, and insight about opportunities for personal growth. Self-reflection.
Making time for self-reflection may seem awkward at first (especially if you are an extrovert) but it’s worth it to take the time. Here’s how that might look. Let’s use the example of the behavior “impatience.” You’ve gotten feedback from others that you tend to be impatient with people who don’t think and speak at the same pace as you. You know this about yourself and even on occasion cut someone off by saying, “just get to the bottom line.” Self-reflection means taking the time to look inside and ask yourself why you react that way, what the impact is (damaged relationship, people not wanting to talk to you), and what you can do to change the behavior. Self-reflection means being vulnerable, being willing to admit the behaviors that are working against you, and clarifying a plan to move beyond the behavior.
Self-reflection is also a way to ensure that you are living and working according to your values and what you want to achieve. It’s a way to level set if you’ve gotten off course. A recent Positive Psychology article suggests 10 questions as a starting point for self-reflection.
- Am I using my time wisely?
- Am I taking anything for granted?
- Am I employing a healthy perspective?
- Am I living true to myself?
- Am I waking up in the morning ready to take on the day?
- Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?
- Am I putting enough effort into my relationships?
- Am I taking care of myself physically?
- Am I letting matters that are out of my control stress me out?
- Am I achieving the goals that I’ve set for myself?
Sometime this week, grab your favorite beverage and set aside some time to reflect on a behavior you want to change or to just do a general reset. Take the pause that refreshes.
Till next time, keep it real.
Karen
