Many leaders who lack self-awareness say that they think outside the box while they’re standing in it. It’s not that they’re being disingenuous, it’s just that the term has been used so much that it’s lost much of its meaning. So how do you know whether you’re genuinely outside the box? Here are a some key questions you can ask yourself to explore your perspective:

• What have I done today that is different from what I’ve done before?
• In what ways have I encouraged and supported my employees to think and behave differently?
• In what ways have I worked on my own workplace thoughts and behaviors recently?
• What is my standard way of doing things and what might I do differently to move in a new direction?
• What new ways of doing things have I come up with recently?
• What’s unique about me and my leadership approach?
• In what ways am I using my unique talents and abilities and encouraging others to do the same?
• What do I think about the rule book?
• What have I created recently?
• In what ways do I encourage creativity in the workplace?
• How have I broadened my horizons recently?
• How small does my workplace feel?
• How do I deal with people who don’t share my vision or approach?
• What occurs when new people come into my workplace?
• What do I do to deal with unforeseen events?
• In what ways do I tend to others’ needs?
• How much of my work life is focused on my own needs?
• In what ways do I make the workplace a better place for others?
• Do people notice and talk to me about my outside the box approach?
• In what ways have I made myself and others uncomfortable in order to grow?
• What are my thoughts on change?
• What do I do with outside ideas?
• What do rules mean to me?
• How many solutions are there to any given problem?
• What’s important in the workplace?
• What do I do to encourage people to motivate themselves from within?
• Who am I?
• If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, what does it mean to my workplace?
• What is my level of self-awareness and what do I do to continuously build it up?

Thinking outside the box provides you with an amazing opportunity to welcome new ideas and build a highly functional, responsive and dynamic workplace. You’ll know you’re thinking expansively because you’ll get stuck less and you’ll have access to a larger pool of information. You’ll be more flexible and adaptable to any challenge that comes your way.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and actually think outside the box?

Cheers,

Guy

Many people are put in leadership positions with little or no preparation and then fall into behaviors based lack of self-awareness and unconscious thought. They tend to lead reactively and automatically based on what they experienced in their families and in previous work environments.

The idea in self-aware leadership is to lead consciously and deliberately rather than winging it and hoping it works. It’s the difference between taking some time to prepare beforehand and running from one emergency to another. Here are five leadership behaviors that will help you create a more inspiring workplace.

Be Organized

Make your life easier by doing top priority things first and less important tasks later. Take some time at the beginning of each week and each day to create a basic plan of what you need to get done. Create a workplace where people have a plan and aren’t putting out fires every moment, it’s much more productive and relaxing.

Let Other People Help You

Many leaders don’t realize that, no matter how driven and talented they may be, they still are stronger when they have other people helping them. One person simply can’t do as much as several people. Find ways to let go of the need to control things and invite others to assist you in creating a successful workplace. Encourage people to stretch and grow and let them add their unique insights and perspectives.

Communicate Openly

So much lost productivity and workplace toxicity develops because people don’t communicate regularly, calmly, respectfully and candidly. Train yourself and your employees to build excellent listening and speaking skills so that interactions flow effortlessly. The more open your workplace is to sharing information, the more you’ll get done and the fewer unforeseen obstacles you’ll encounter.

Be Kind

This means that you treat people with respect and value them at all times. You set reasonable limits and boundaries and behave in ways that build people up and highlight their strengths instead of pointing out deficiencies. Employees know that you set rules and guidelines but that you do it in a way that is caring and empathic.

Be Emotionally Healthy

Your organization is only as healthy as you feel inside. If you’re working out your unresolved issues on your employees you will limit your ability to set a positive example and be credible. People know when you’re doing stuff because of how you feel about yourself and they see you struggling. That’s why it’s a good idea to work out your own issues first before you lead others.

Self-aware leadership is about you taking personal responsibility for being as healthy and balanced as possible so that you’re in an optimal position to motivate others. When you behave effectively and appropriately you move from pushing people around to mobilizing them to do great things.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and practice positive leadership behaviors?

Cheers,

Guy