Years ago, I worked with a leader who was skilful at building high-performing teams. I watched her build a team from scratch and the amazing results they achieved. Moving to a more senior role, she inherited a team that was barely functional and not high performing. Again, I watched her work her magic with this team and saw it become much more functional after several months.
I’m curious about what makes someone good at creating a high performance team. This leader was able to stay grounded. Being in touch with herself – understanding what she was feeling and why – meant that she could manage her emotional state and respond resourcefully if difficult situations arose. She had a good sense of her values, beliefs and strengths.
Being self-aware meant that she connected easily with people: others would feel safe and free to be the best version of themselves.
When I look at successful leaders, time and again, it's their awareness of themselves that has given them the edge.
Awareness of ourselves is about understanding and predicting our emotional reactions to situations.
Highly self-aware individuals have a strong sense of themselves.
Conversely, when we are blind to what's going on, both within us and around us, we tend not to be conscious of our values and our strengths. We are more likely to misinterpret others, and tend to react unconsciously, rather than consciously, often sending the wrong messages. This inevitably leads to less desirable outcomes, which undermines our confidence.
Fortunately self-awareness is something you can develop.
Increasing self-awareness starts with understanding who you are:
- Your beliefs
- What you value
- Your strengths and weaknesses
- Your identity
Knowing even a little more about each of these improves your ability to manage your emotions and be more flexible in the way you respond to situations’ and have the flexibility to change as required.
Go on, start finding out more about yourself!