Personal Awareness

Self-Awareness, Team Building, and Everyone Being on the Same Page - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness, Team Building, and Everyone Being on the Same Page

/ / Self-Awareness in Leadership / , , ,

A frequently overlooked detail of team building is that it is most effective when everyone has self-awareness and is on the same page. If you’ve ever tried to build a team and had it go off course due to one or two individuals, you can be quite certain it’s because not everyone is self-aware enough to be on the same page and practice the same behaviors. For example: You’ve worked diligently to create a great team and then someone else joins the group who throws everything off-balance. Perhaps the person has a strong personality or different vision, he or she can make the whole team unravel.

The effect on teams of having even one person who lacks self-awareness and isn’t fully on board with the process is that your team is only as strong as that person. This happens a lot in organizations where much of the decision making is done by one leader and not by a team. In workplaces like that you get teams that function based on the perspective of one person rather than the input of many.

The challenge in team building is to create an environment where everyone has an important voice and is an equal part of the group instead of having one or two people making decisions for everyone else. A positive way to help your team members get on the same page is to set some basic guidelines for participation. Train everyone so that they understand that everyone’s voice is equal and that no one person is more valuable than the next. Make sure you have a  in your meetings who understands how to get rid of power differentials and the interactions that sidetrack successful team meetings. If a new person joins the group, bring them into the process and train them on the guidelines as well as encouraging team members to model positive behaviors. If someone insists on derailing the process keep reiterating the group guidelines and practicing the positive behaviors. Team building isn’t a one-shot process, it takes time and deliberate effort to make it work.

The idea with team building is to create an atmosphere where everyone feels included, valued, important and comfortable participating. This allows leaders to build teams that aren’t derailed by a strong personality or power differentials and, instead, move toward groups where everyone is highly motivated to participate. When everyone on the team is invited and encouraged to provide input you and your organization can achieve greater success because everyone will feel like contributing.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and create stronger teams?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Boosting Your Self-Esteem - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Boosting Your Self-Esteem

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness / , ,

People frequently ask me how they can boost their self-esteem, especially when they’re feeling down. Building yourself up is a lifelong and continuing process that requires self-awareness to be able to evaluate and focus your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in order to move forward positively.

There are no set rules on how you should feel on any given day but there are some things that can help you boost your self-awareness and how you feel about yourself. The great thing about self-esteem is that you can increase it at any time, all it takes is some conscious action. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  • Do things you love doing.
  • Celebrate your successes.
  • Focus on positive things.
  • Associate with people that support you.
  • Listen to your inner voice.
  • Keep moving forward even when it seems difficult.
  • Take small steps but always keep stepping.
  • Develop goals you are working toward.
  • Do nice things for yourself that don’t cost money.
  • Look in the mirror and say positive things to yourself.

Building self-esteem is a process of continuing to support and celebrate yourself. It doesn’t come all at once or even stay constant but you can make sure it is strong by staying active and continuing to take action. There will always be negative things that come along but, if you work on increasing your self-esteem, you will find that you can weather any storm.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and boost your self-esteem?

Cheers,

Guy

Insecurity Is a Normal Part of Self-Awareness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Insecurity Is a Normal Part of Self-Awareness

/ / Self and Self-Awareness / , , , , , , ,

Insecurity is a normal part of developing self-awareness because it indicates that you understand that some area of your life that needs improvement. No one feels 100% confident all the time and everyone has doubts. The trick is to use those feelings as inspiration to keep learning and growing instead of letting them affect you and others in less that wonderful ways.

People who are always insecure lack the self-awareness to move past those feelings. The key to getting rid of insecurity is to determine what’s causing it and continue taking action even when it feels difficult. As you keep doing positive things, you’ll gradually feel more confident and less insecure.

Here are some signs you’re moving past insecurity:

  • You feel happier and more balanced.
  • You’re able to overcome obstacles.
  • You like yourself more.
  • You feel more confident but not in an arrogant or fake way.
  • You don’t feel the need to compete to prove how great you are.
  • You help other people succeed.
  • You behave with kindness and empathy.

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware Leaders Are Visionary - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Aware Leaders Are Visionary

/ / Self-Awareness in Leadership / , ,

Self-aware leaders are visionary because they have worked through the issues that get in the way of creativity and are able to see the big picture and look ahead instead of being stuck always doing the same unproductive things.

If you want to be a profoundly average leader who lacks self-awareness, unvisionary leadership allows you to create a mediocre workplace where people are unhappy, undervalued and underutilized so that someone can make a buck. A large percentage of our workplaces follow this approach when they could just as easily design a profitable organization that treats it’s people well and functions nimbly and creatively. Here are some examples of the contrast between unvisionary and visionary leadership:

Unvisionary: Focus on making money regardless of how you treat employees.
Visionary: Make money while treating your employees kindly and compassionately.

Unvisionary: Find ways to cut pay, perks and benefits.
Visionary: Identify ways to increase pay, perks and benefits.

Unvisionary: Use punishment to try to manage behavior.
Visionary: Use positive reinforcement to encourage positive behavior.

Unvisionary: Spend each day scrambling from one emergency to the next.
Visionary: Plan calmly in advance and include your employees in the process.

Unvisionary: Limit employees’ input and keep them in a box.
Visionary: Encourage creative thinking and listen to people’s ideas.

Unvisionary: Resist change.
Visionary: Welcome change.

Unvisionary: Run your organization from the top down.
Visionary: Give people at all levels power, automy and decision-making ability.

Unvisionary: Provided limited training and expect people to perform perfectly.
Visionary: Provide ongoing training and educational opportunities.

Unvisionary: Make sure people in leadership positions have no self-awareness.
Visionary: Hire or train emotionally intelligent, compassionate leaders.

Your workplace reflects your underlying leadership values and beliefs. Any shift in how your organization functions begins with you imagining that things can be different. You can choose to design a workplace that makes a profit while honoring employees, but it can’t happen unless you believe it’s possible and are willing to take action to make it a reality.

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

Cheers,

Guy

Your Self-Awareness Journey - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Your Self-Awareness Journey

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness / , , , , , ,

Your self-awareness journey is particular to you. It will go in any direction that you commit to going. That means that you get to choose what you do and how you move forward. Don’t worry about what others say, it’s up to you which path you take. The key is to make decisions based on your authentic self and enjoy the trip. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Be open to new ideas and approaches.
  • Commit to getting to know yourself at a deep level.
  • Work on healing your inner hurts.
  • Create an inventory of the things you do well and the areas you want to improve.
  • Talk to some professionals about building self-awareness.
  • Resolve to live your life based on who you really are deep inside.
  • Understand how your emotions, thoughts, and actions affect your life.
  • Decide to live consciously.

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Are Dynamic Instead of Static - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Aware People Are Dynamic Instead of Static

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness / , , , ,

People tend to be static or dynamic, which means that they either want to keep the status quo or value ongoing change. When you lack self-awareness and live a static life, you devote a lot of energy to keeping things as they are, a daunting task since the universe is constantly transforming around you. Being self-aware and dynamic helps you be nimble, flexible and able to handle the challenges that come your way, as well as being happier. Here are some signs that indicate whether you’re static or flexible:

Signs You’re Static
Try to keep things the same.
Struggle with change.
Pine for the good old days.
React to events.
Resist new trends.
Struggle with new ideas.
Look at change as losing something.

Signs You’re Dynamic
Don’t mind if things aren’t the same.
See change as a positive.
Pleased that things are constantly evolving.
Behave proactively to welcome change.
Welcome new trends.
Appreciate new ideas.
View change as gaining something.

In the history of the world, many people have tried to halt change but none has succeeded in the long run. Struggling against change only leads to frustration and disappointment whereas welcoming it makes life easier and more enjoyable. Being static will leave you consistently behind while being dynamic gives you the ability to handle any situation that comes your way.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and be more dynamic?

Cheers,

Guy

Increasing Self-Awareness Helps You Build Positive Relationships - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Increasing Self-Awareness Helps You Build Positive Relationships

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness / , , ,

Increasing self-awareness helps you build positive relationships with others and make decisions that help you treat yourself well and move your life in a beneficial direction. Try asking yourself some questions to decide what kind of relationships you want in your life, such as:

  • What kind of person do I want to be with?
  • How do I want them to treat me?
  • What kind of relationship do I want?
  • What am I doing to have a great relationship with myself without a significant other in the picture?
  • What can I do to make sure I take care of myself and move in a positive direction?
  • How do I define love or friendship?
  • What things am I doing to build up my self-awareness so I am able to invite positive people into my life?

Take some time to think about questions like these. After a while you’ll have a clearer idea of what kind of relationships are best for you. They key is to know yourself and be healthy enough to attract positive people into your life. It all starts with you.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and build positive relationships?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy