I consult for a wide range of leaders and organizations and I’m often surprised by the number of individuals who lack self-awareness and lead as if they’ve never considered someone else’s point of view. Some even get into the same types of arguments and interactions that they experienced in their families growing up, which doesn’t tend to lead to amazing results.
Have you ever worked with someone who tried to resolve every problem the same way and ended up fixing nothing and making everyone unhappy? It happens all the time and we call that type of leader a bad boss. Here are some practical things you can do to increase self-awareness and make your leadership skills even stronger:
- Figure out and define what you do well and do those things in the workplace.
- Identify areas where you could use some help and find people to help you.
- Ask your employees where you need some help and listen to their advice.
- Be willing to ask for help rather than pretend you know everything.
- Be open to information, ideas and perspectives other than your own.
- Be willing to change your behavior patterns to improve your workplace.
- Admit mistakes rather than covering stuff up to avoid losing face.
- Accept change and use it as a catalyst to do new and exciting things.
- Delegate and give people the opportunity to grow.
- Practice kind behaviors toward everyone at work.
If you practice all ten of these things you already understand what kind of workplace it creates: An environment where employees actually like you and are willing to do more and better work because they’re not miserable. Behaving positively in the workplace leads to better results for you and everyone else.
What will you do to develop self-awareness and lead more effectively?
Cheers,
Guy