As a leader, do you understand the impact that you have on other people?
The way you perceive yourself may not be the way that others see you. This interpersonal blindness can cause you to fail as a leader. If you don’t recognize how the people around you see you, it can lead to you blaming others for things that go wrong.
A leader that is self-aware knows what they are good at and what they lack. They acknowledge that they still have much to learn. And when they don’t know the answer to something, they admit it. Leaders who are self-aware have learned how their actions have an impact on others.
Unfortunately, developing self-awareness can be a struggle for most who don’t know how. Ultimately, the best way for you to learn about yourself is to ask the ones who know you best or spend the most time with you throughout the day. These will be the people who have seen you on both your good and bad days. They’ll have seen you through personal and professional highs and lows.
Without self-awareness, you cannot set proper goals because you haven’t established your identity and individuality yet. Here are 5 tips to developing self-awareness through valuable interpersonal feedback that will help you improve as a leader:
1. Keep an open mind.
Regulating your emotions will be difficult. But if you want to be a successful leader, you have to be genuinely curious about what your peers and employees think about you. Be open to what people have to say.
2. Ask.
The truth is just as tough to hear as it is to give. There may be reluctance from the people you ask to provide you with honest feedback about your leadership style. Be persistent that you cannot begin to fix what is flawed without their critique.
3. Be mindful of both your strengths and weaknesses.
It’s natural that you want to stay positive and focus only on your strengths. But by ignoring your weaknesses, you’re deliberately creating blind spots. Take the good and maintain it. Take the bad and change it.
4. Be thankful.
No matter how painful the truth is, say thank you. Being defensive when someone is honest about the way they perceive you will only lead them to withhold any more feedback. And you’re not likely to get them to open up to you again. Above all, don’t hold grudges.
5. Track your progress.
What have you done with the feedback and criticism that you have received? Have you been proactive about making adjustments in your life? Or have you ignored them and decided to find out about your strengths and weaknesses on your own terms?
Self-awareness has much to do with humility. Without owning up to your mistakes and flaws, you can’t be a leader that will be respected and looked up to as authentic and trustworthy.
Do you want to improve your self-awareness so that you can have a sense of purpose and be recognized as an authentic leader? We can help you overcome those challenges you are facing. We are passionate about helping organizations and individuals achieve effective and sustainable leadership through meaningful processes.
If you want to discuss further, I think we should connect: https://meetme.so/GregNichvalodoff
