Self-Awareness in Leadership

Self-Aware People Praise Others

-

Self-aware people praise others because they’re comfortable with who they are and are able to spread happiness in the world rather than competing against everyone, feeling insecure, or working out their unfinished business on other people.

Praise can be hard to come by in our personal and professional lives. It’s as if there is some rule that praise is superfluous or unnecessary. Our inability to praise comes from being conditioned to correct and punish (some call it teaching) rather than celebrate and lift up. Perhaps you’ve had someone praise you and add some sort of negating or qualifying statement that minimizes its significance, as in:

  • You did a great job but make sure you do this next time.
  • You did so well on that project, much better than last time.
  • I’m so impressed with your work, too bad we can’t use it right now.
  • I like your idea but here’s how we’re going to do it.
  • You’re so smart, sometimes a little too much for your own good.

Individuals and leaders who lack self-awareness often see praise as an opportunity to make some kind of comment, correction or criticism rather than simply acknowledging that someone did something well. It’s not that they’re evil, they’re just used to praising people with caveats.

A major part of self-awareness is understanding that your actions not only affect you but also the people around you. People like to be praised. It builds them up. Think back in your own history and you’ll likely remember the times when someone genuinely praised you. Thankfully, you can praise people as often as you want, without the qualifiers.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and praise people more often?

Cheers,

Guy

Soft-Skills Training Doesn’t Work for Leaders Who Lack Self-Awareness

-

As part of my self-awareness consulting services, I design soft-skills training programs that help leaders create happier workplaces and I’ve noticed a recurring pattern over the years: Many people think that you can change behaviors overnight. They talk earnestly with me about team building or effective communication and expect that a one-day training will resolve everything. I’ve even had leaders and HR managers who lack self-awareness ask me to change how their employees communicate in one hour.

People mean well but the reality is that it takes considerable time and effort for training to take root in an organization. Otherwise it has little chance of having any impact. Here are ten practical ideas to improve your chances of success:

  1. Commit to training on an ongoing basis. It helps to have a set time and place for the training that people can rely on.
  2. Support employees so they can keep practicing the new skills they acquire.
  3. Involve leadership from the very beginning and have them be present and participating actively in the training.
  4. Don’t try to do it on the cheap. Your investment up-front often determines your long-term training success.
  5. Focus on improving behaviors.
  6. Conduct repeated training people can count on.
  7. Attendance isn’t optional.
  8. Set goals so you can measure success.
  9. Train trainers so they can keep the process going.
  10. Make the training part of your company culture.

Leaders who don’t do these things are the ones who lack self-awareness and lament that soft-skills training doesn’t work. Those who decide to focus on these areas find that the training they provide has a much better chance at succeeding. It almost always depends on how committed leadership is to making it work and whether they’re in it for the long-term.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and make sure your training works?

Cheers,

Guy

Building a Culture of Workplace Self-Awareness and Team Building

-

Genuine team building goes beyond the occasional bonding activity or retreat to establishing a culture that encourages self-awareness, rewards collaboration, and teaches everyone in your workplace how to build and participate in cohesive teams. Here are five ideas to keep in mind as you begin creating a culture of self-awareness and team building in your organization:

  1. Team building flows from the top. Leaders who practice self-awareness set a positive example of how to behave in the workplace. They show employees the organization is genuinely interested in building healthy teams by actively setting up and participating in an ongoing program.
  1. Team building is a company value. You get to choose what your organization values and what it doesn’t and whether people in the organization work against each other or collaborate. You decide what behaviors are acceptable and encouraged in your workplace.
  1. Train the trainer. Set aside the time and resources to train people at all levels of the organizations who then train their particular departments until all employees have the knowledge to practice effective team building.
  1. Schedule regular time for team building activities. You show your employees that team building is a priority by establishing a weekly stand-alone activity that doesn’t have to share space with other meetings and is attended by people at all levels.
  1. Team building is about celebrating your employees. Design team building activities where leaders and employees can connect on a deeper level, build meaningful relationships and praise each other in public.

As a leader, you decide what kind of work environment you create and whether you commit long-term to making it easier for your employees to come together and work collaboratively. What will you do to support a culture of self-awareness and team building in your organization?

Cheers,

Guy

5 Signs You’re a Great Leader Who Possesses Self-Awareness

-

Think about a time when you worked for a great leader who possessed self-awareness. What did it feel like? What are some of the things that person did to become exceptional in your mind? There are many qualities that go into creating a great leader. Here are five elements:

  1. They listen well. Great leaders don’t feel they always have to be talking on top of others or having the last word. They are happy to listen to others and glean knowledge and wisdom from them.
  2. They use the skills of their employees. Great leaders are adept at identifying the skills and talents of their employees and use them to get things done. They believe in helping people shine.
  3. They inspire others. Great leaders don’t only bark orders, they actually inspire their employees to do better and grow. These leaders don’t mind when someone becomes more knowledgeable or skillful, they encourage it.
  4. They welcomes and generate new ideas. Great leaders have the ability to see things others might not and to encourage others to do the same. They aren’t afraid of change and value growth and fresh thought rather than the status quo.
  5. They put ego aside. Great leaders know that the workplace isn’t about them, it’s about the collective energy everyone creates together. They don’t worry about power trips, they enjoy helping other people feel great.

There is a certain feeling that self-aware leaders create in the workplace. It isn’t based on fear, intimidation or hierarchy, but rather on their ability to look beyond themselves and help others grow.

Are you a great leader? A reliable measure is whether people truly enjoy working for you and, without prompting, tell you and each others about their experience. We all know the difference between a workplace that inspires and one that only stresses productivity, make sure you create a wonderful one.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and become a great leader?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Don’t Say, “It’s Not My Problem”

-

You earnestly ask a colleague or employee who lacks self-awareness a question and he or she utters the words that destroy effective communication: It’s not my problem. Think of the power that one phrase has and how easily it completely eradicates any semblance of caring or courtesy. In one fell swoop, the person who says it demonstrates a lack of self-awareness and gives up on being helpful in any way or communicating effectively. These types of interactions happen all the time in our workplaces and can lead to all kinds of unwanted results including reduced morale, ineffective leadership, and lower productivity.

The reason, “It’s not my problem,” has such negative repercussions is that it stops all interaction and does so in a jarring, often disrespectful, manner. There are many variations on this phrase but they all make communication more difficult rather than easier. The challenge in the workplace is to find ways of saying yes instead of no as well as taking responsibility for communicating well rather than putting up walls. Here are ten positive alternatives to saying, “It’s not my problem.”

1.  Lets work on this together to find an answer.
2.  I’ll see what I can do and check back with you.
3.  What can I do to be helpful?
4.  Let’s look for resources.
5.  Who might have the skills to help us with this.
6.  What part can I play to make the situation easier?
7.  This is my concern too.
8.  I hear you and understand what you’re saying.
9.  I can help brainstorm ideas.
10.  Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do.

Think about all the words we utter in the workplace that create unnecessary communication roadblocks. These types of interactions don’t focus on the positive and, consequently, don’t lead to great results. Thankfully, we can shift that momentum by stepping outside our boxes and committing to communicate more effectively.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and promote positive communication in your workplace?

Cheers,

Guy

Characteristics of Self-Aware Leaders

-

Leaders who possess self-awareness also tend to be enlightened because they understand themselves at a deeper level and are able to lead effectively without destroying or dominating people. Here are some characteristics of self-aware leaders:

  • They feel comfortable with themselves.
  • They let go of ego.
  • They’re collaborative instead of competitive.
  • They understand how their own thoughts and behaviors affect others.
  • They treat others with compassion, kindness, and respect.
  • They’re comfortable with their own and other people’s emotions.
  • They don’t have a need for dominance, power, or control.
  • They are able to see the big picture as well as details.
  • They get out of the way and let others shine.
  • They communicate well, emphasizing active listening.

If you’ve ever worked for a leader like this, you know how enjoyable it is to interact with someone who isn’t out to make himself or herself look good and who understands that other people matter. What have you noticed about self-aware, enlightened leaders?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware Leadership and Creating a Strategic Plan

-

Self-aware leaders are well-equipped to create a strategic plan because they don’t allow their own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to get in the way of creating a path forward that helps their organization thrive.

When I consult with leaders and organizations they tell me about the gigantic strategic plans that sit on their bookshelves. While those plans include reams of valuable information and input, they collect dust because they are too complex for anyone to use as a reference.

I’m a strong advocate of being self-aware enough to get out of the way and keep things simple in order to live a happier life, so I thought I’d share my basic approach to strategic planning. Strategic planning doesn’t have to be a chore. If you think about it, a strategic plan is really just a document that describes what you want to do and how you’ll do it.

Use the following ideas to create a concise document that guides your organization and that people aren’t afraid to reference.

  1. What’s your mission? Write a one sentence mission statement. Keep it simple and speak from the heart. Think in terms of what it is you really want your company to stand for. Stay away from jargon and business speak and focus on a meaningful, basic idea of what your organization does.
  2. What are the things you do well? Make a brief list of the things your organization does well so that you know what you have to work with moving forward.
  3. What would you like to strengthen? Create a brief list of the areas where you need a little help.
  4. Where would you like to go? Write down three to five things you’d like your organization to accomplish. These should be deeply meaningful to your organization and reflect your mission.
  5. Who will do what and by when? Decide who will take on each part of where you want to go. This step is much more successful if people assign themselves the tasks. Create a date for completion of each task.

When you work on these five steps you will end up with a living, breathing document that is intentionally concise and open to re-interpretation and change. The whole idea of strategic planning is to give you a framework or foundation you can build on. You can always add more detail or specific tasks but you can’t do it if you don’t build a firm footing first.

Try these steps with a key group of individuals and you’ll be on your way to creating an easy strategic plan that encourages dynamic movement instead of confusion and heartburn. What will you do to develop self-awareness and create a usable strategic plan?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy