Periodically I write about self-awareness and based on some recent experiences and conversations, it seemed like a good time to revisit the topic.
Self-awareness is the ability to identify your moods, what you’re feeling, and how they have an impact on those you interact with. Self-aware people are also more in touch with what motivates them and what they want.
People with high levels of self-awareness tend to be self-reflective. In other words, they take the time to evaluate how they are perceived in various interactions. If you have high self-awareness, you’re most likely on the road to having high levels of emotional intelligence.
Here is an opportunity for self-reflection. You may want to determine how your moods are coming across to others. Are you angry and frustrated? Are you compassionate? Are you hard to read?
After doing this exercise, ask someone who knows you well to give their own assessment of your temperament. If your assessment and your friend’s assessment vary significantly, it’s time to take a more objective analysis of your disposition.
Consider taking a week to closely self-monitor your self-awareness. Taking a more intentional approach will result in gaining additional insight.
After you have completed these exercises, set some goals to improve your self-awareness and work on achieving these goals over the next 30 days. Surely, you’ll see improvement, and this will motivate you to continue the process in 30 days increments.
What’s in this for you? Aside from the benefits gleaned from the exercises above, you’ll find that you’re communicating more effectively and making better decisions.
And you’ll gain more confidence in how you approach your job as a leader. This alone makes it well worth the effort, so go for it!
Header image by Brett Jordan of Unsplash.
