Awareness Meaning

Self-Aware Leaders Listen to Their Employees

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There is frequently a large gap between how leaders think they are perceived and what’s really going on. I enjoy talking with employees about how their bosses function because that’s where the juicy stuff is. Employees have valuable insights on the strengths and areas for improvement of their supervisors and it can be very helpful to listen to their advice.

The opportunity that many leaders miss out on is using their employees’ ideas to improve their leadership abilities or  how their workplaces function. This often happens because leaders simply don’t have open, two-way communication with their employees. When they open up the lines of communication they have access to the rich information and knowledge their employees possess. This, in turn, helps leaders understand where they stand with their employees and what adjustments might be beneficial. Ask yourself the following questions to asses the quality of your communication with your  employees.

1.  What percentage of time do you listen to your employees with no interruptions?

2.  What is the last great idea you got by listening to an employee?

3.  How is conflict dealt with in your organization? What part does effective  communication play?

4.  What would your employees say about the morale and motivation in your organization?

5.  What advice would your employees give you about how to improve your organization?

6.  In what ways do your employees demonstrate they are comfortable talking with you?

7.  What do your employees say about you?

If you know the answers to these questions then you’re likely practicing effective communication with your employees. Chances are that you also know what they are saying about you. If you don’t have answers to these questions you can always make some adjustments to make sure you are connected to your employees.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and communicate more openly with your employees?

Cheers,

Guy

10 Behaviors of Someone with Strong Self-Awareness

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Here are ten behaviors of someone with strong self-awareness:

  • They do things consciously rather than just reacting to stuff.
  • They are in touch with their emotions and are comfortable feeling them.
  • They are comfortable with other people’s emotions.
  • They treat other people with kindness, empathy, and compassion.
  • They actively work on healing their past hurts.
  • They understand that there are other people in the world besides them.
  • They get along with others and enjoy positive relationships.
  • They know who they really are deep inside and live life accordingly.
  • They’re flexible and open to change.
  • They’re always growing.

People who possess self-awareness are able to expertly manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors so they can live happy, fulfilling lives. If you are self-aware, you know yourself deeply and live based on the real you. This authentic existence allows you to move past all the petty stuff and focus on enjoying your time on this planet and encouraging others to do the same.

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Are Good Listeners

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Most of us say that we’re good listeners, but self-aware people really are because they know how to get out of the way and simply listen to others without overreacting or getting defensive. Here are some examples of what good listeners do so you can see how you’re doing:

1. Don’t talk.
2. Nod and prompt the other person to say more.
3. Ask open ended questions that don’t have yes or no answers.
4. Lean forward and look interested.
5. Don’t talk.

How many of these do you do? Really listening means practicing self-awareness and listening for meaning. We all understand words but do we really understand what the other person is feeling. Pay attention to what the other person looks like when they talk. Do they look upset, do they look confused? Ask questions that help the other person talk more.

If you try some of these you might find you learn a lot about the other person. I also encourage people I coach to try conversations where they don’t talk at all and just nod. It’s amazing what we can learn when we don’t talk.

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

Cheers,

Guy

15 Examples of the Importance of Self-Awareness

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Here are fifteen examples of the importance of self-awareness:

  1. You get to live life as the real you.
  2. You learn more about who you really are deep down inside.
  3. You avoid the pain and discomfort that comes from living a life that isn’t really yours.
  4. You can work on healing your hurts instead of ignoring or trying to suppress them.
  5. You become a healthier person.
  6. You are nicer to yourself and others and you contribute to making the world a better place.
  7. New opportunities present themselves because you’re living as the authentic you.
  8. People like you for who you are, not whom you pretend to be.
  9. You build healthier relationships.
  10. You get along with others.
  11. Life flows more smoothly because you’re not constantly fighting with yourself and others.
  12. You get to be more fulfilled and happier.
  13. You’re able to feel your emotions and deal with them positively.
  14. You take action instead of reacting to everything.
  15. Your thinking matches your actions.

There are many benefits to developing self-awareness but the biggest one is being at peace with yourself and the world around you. Imagine living your life happily and peacefully instead of just trying to survive each day. What would you add to this list?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Know It’s Okay to Be Wrong

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Self-aware people know it’s okay to be wrong because it presents an opportunity for self-reflection, learning, and growth. Sadly, most individuals think it’s the end of the world if they’re incorrect about something. They’ll go through all kinds of contortions to not admit a mistake, even going as far as covering things up, blaming someone else or denying that it ever happened. The amazing thing is that being wrong is liberating. It gives you a chance to stop, be more self-aware, reevaluate, and move in a more beneficial direction.

Perhaps you avoid looking like you’re wrong because you don’t want to feel shame, weakness or inferiority. The key to getting better results in life is to have the self-awareness to understand that being wrong offers a unique opportunity to learn and grow, which helps you:

  • Get new information.
  • Learn new things.
  • Consider different ideas and points of view.
  • Be flexible and open to changing your mind.
  • Get different results.
  • Stop repeating patterns that don’t work.
  • Set a positive example of being able to grow.
  • Understanding yourself better.
  • Find areas for improvement.
  • Act like a grownup.
  • Live a happier life.

The ability to be wrong is a significant part of self-awareness because it indicates that you’re mature and healthy enough to admit a mistake, learn from it and move on. It’s the difference between an individual who stays stuck repeating the same error over and over because he never fixes the underlying cause and the person who is able to move past it. You get to choose whether being wrong holds you back or helps you grow and succeed.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and admit you’re wrong more often?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Consulting Produces Long-Term Results

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Many leaders hire a self-awareness consultant for a session or two only to find that they produce little or no long-term results. Most leaders and their employees are highly motivated and conscientious professionals who genuinely want their training programs to succeed but who habitually focus on short-term patches instead of long-term programs that benefit their organizations over time.

Short-term thinking permeates many of our workplaces. I’ve had more than a few leaders who lack self-awareness ask me to transform their workplaces and employees in a single, three-hour session, and they actually believe it can be done. It takes considerably more time and effort for consulting to take hold in any organization. As with any behavior, it takes time to shift our thinking and replace it with new actions. Here are ten ideas that will help you make the most of your work with a self-awareness consultant and create long-term results:

1. Self-awareness consulting works best when it’s ongoing. A one-time session might be mildly effective if you’re teaching people a specific workplace task but it doesn’t create long-term changes in thinking and behavior. Learning any new skill (such as how to communicate well, manage effectively or build teams) takes deliberate practice over time.

2. Help your employees keep practicing the new skills. Your staff members benefit from your support to keep the consulting going. Try to set people up for success by giving them opportunities to practice the material instead of expecting them to be perfect immediately after one or two sessions.

3. Self-awareness consulting starts with leadership. No initiative succeeds in an organization if leaders aren’t fully committed to participating actively in the program. If you’re not involved on an ongoing basis, then your staff members will think the program doesn’t really matter.

4. Don’t hire a self-awareness consultant on the cheap. You don’t have to spend excessive amounts on trendy experts just show your employees that you’re willing to invest in their growth and development. It’s more productive to pay more for an ongoing, quality consulting program than many inexpensive and ineffective ones.

5. Focus on specific workplace behaviors. You either practice positive behaviors in the workplace or go down some other path. Focus on hiring a self-awareness consultant that helps leaders and employees behave in positive ways and build a more productive work environment.

6. Don’t punish employees with a consultant. Your program will lose all credibility if you force employees to attend as a corrective measure or because you think they did something wrong. Self-awareness consulting is about ongoing educational opportunity and growth, not about disciplining employees.

7. Attendance is highly encouraged. No one is allowed to schedule meetings or be called out from sessions, especially leadership. Make time during the workday so that people can see that the consulting program is worth their time. Leadership attends consistently and sets the example for the rest of the staff.

8. Set specific goals and measure results as you go. Identify one or two areas you want your consulting program to affect and measure what’s happening before and after the training as well as at intervals in the future. Keep practicing what works and make modifications to strengthen areas that need extra attention.

9. Have the self-awareness consultant train you and your staff to keep things going. Design your consulting programs so that key employees gain the expertise necessary to train other staff members. When your staff can train itself you can keep the knowledge spreading indefinitely and continue making refinements.

10. Make the consulting program part of your culture. You decide how important the program is in your organization. If everyone from your leadership down is highly invested in and actively involved in the program, then it will become a natural element in your workplace.

Try these ideas and you’ll enjoy the benefits of self-awareness consulting that creates lasting change in your organization. All it takes is your commitment and the energy to keep it going. What will you do to develop self-awareness and promote long-term self-awareness consulting in your workplace?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness, Leadership, and Dealing with Difficult Situations at Work

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Leaders who possess self-awareness are adept at dealing with difficult situations at work because they are able to deal with their own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, as well as thinking about how others perceive what’s going on.

I often get questions from leaders who are diligently trying to figure out what to do in a difficult situation at work but can’t quite find an answer. Most leaders and managers care for the well-being of their employees but may not have access to resources to resolve challenges. There’s nothing terrible about this kind of situation, all you need to do is add another tool to help you deal with the matter at hand.

I encourage people to think in terms of increasing self-awareness and finding their own solutions to tough issues in the workplace. For example, spend some time thinking and doing the following:

1. What would I name this issue?

2. What are some possible solutions for the issue?

3. Which solution makes the most sense to me?

4. What do I need to do to start working on the solution?

As you answer these questions (in order) you will begin to improve your self-awareness and formulate a strategy to deal with whatever situation comes your way. If you think about it, this four-question process simply defines what you’re dealing with and narrows down your options so that you can focus on a solution.

Try using these four steps and arrive at your own carefully thought-out decisions. Dealing with tough issues doesn’t have to be complicated. Break the situation into manageable pieces and you’ll be able to work on it more effectively. What will you do to develop self-awareness and deal effectively with difficult situations at work?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy