" Know yourself and you will win all battles" - Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu was a Chinese General, strategist and philosopher who lived around 500BC. The fact that he is still being quoted is testament to the remarkable influence of his classic work which is over 2500 years old . The quote “Know thyself…” appears in many slightly different forms but the inference is the same; self-awareness is completely fundamental to effective leadership. It took a while for the corporate world to catch on but in recent decades people from all walks of business have come to realise that before one can lead others, one must first learn to lead oneself.
The members of the Business Advisory Council of Stanford Graduate School of Business were once asked what they considered the most important leadership development capability in an emerging leader. The answer from the 75-member council was all but unanimous: self-awareness! (Showry and Manasa in an essay Self-Awareness – Key to Effective Leadership, 2014).
What then is self-awareness and how do we gain some?
It would be wrong to make the rookie error believing that self-awareness is purely about knowing your strengths and weaknesses. No, it's so much more than that. If you are highly self-aware you have a deep and clear understanding of how you show up at work. It's about understanding the impact of your actions, words and behaviours on others around you. An ability to see yourself from the point of view of others.
Things that highly self-aware leaders do:
- They display kindness
- They don't take results personally, be they good or poor
- They take the blame and share the credit
- They learn from their mistakes
- They tolerate failure in others
- They don't let one problem breed into more problems
- They are content with their version of themselves and genuinely quite like themselves
There are three things you can do right now to enhance your self-awareness
1. SEEK OUT AUTHENTIC & ROBUST FEEDBACK
Arguably the best and most reliable method of gaining authentic feedback is through the use of a sophisticated 360° diagnostic tool. This tool will collect the perceptions that workmates (respondents) have formed about aspects of your behaviour and/or performance. The most compelling aspect of the 360° is that it will give you insight into the version of yourself that is turning up in the workplace. You will be reported on by seniors, peers and juniors (ie from all directions - hence the name 360).
2. DEVELOP A MIND-SET THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ACCEPT AND TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE FEEDBACK
Now that you’ve courageously sought out and received robust feedback from the people you work with, you must now choose how to digest it. Denial is frequently the biggest hurdle that leaders face in their challenge to enhance their self-awareness. Learning about ourselves is often painful and sometimes brutal. We have hardwired within us defence mechanisms that tempt us to resist harsh feedback.
To help ensure you take the feedback onboard try these three things:
- Say “thanks”. It's the first step in developing the ability to humbly and graciously accept everyone’s feedback.
- Remind yourself that this is not just about you but is also about the people who work with you.
- Look for and identify the positives in your feedback. This will assist you to gain small, vital wins and to get some momentum with the personal self-awareness improvement process.
3. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT & FORM AN ACTION PLAN
Awareness without action is largely useless. Completing the 360 was the starting point. Your voyage to behavioural change now commences and hopefully the feedback you’ve gained gives you the data and the impetus to either tweak or radically alter your approach to leadership. Doubtless a Leadership Coach will assist you to make any changes you think necessary.
You have nothing to lose. If you feel as though you're not yet ready to enhance self-awareness ask yourself why that might be the case. Maybe you're quietly hiding from something. You may even be a slightly withdrawn leader. That's okay but we suggest you get brave and go for it! There's never been a better time than right now.
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