Leadership Self-Awareness

Are You a Competitive or Self-Aware, Collaborative Leader?

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There are many well-meaning, talented and skilled leaders who feel like only they have the answers. They don’t ask for help and their competitive instinct kicks in whenever someone offers assistance or suggests working on a project together. There’s nothing horrible about wanting to excel on your own but it can limit your organization’s ability to grow and make valuable connections. You get to decide what kind of leadership style you practice, and that will predict what kind of results you get. To see what might work best, let’s look at some examples of competitive and self-aware, collaborative leadership and how you might benefit from practicing the latter approach.

Signs You’re a Competitive Leader

  • Always strive to be the best, above all others.
  • You’re a pioneer and enjoy doing things on your own.
  • Hesitant to share information or resources with other organizations.
  • Decline receiving help when another organization offers.
  • Miss or don’t seek opportunities for collaboration.
  • Feel threatened when another organization offers the same services.
  • Working with other organizations isn’t generally on your radar.
  • You think twice before referring a client to another organization.
  • You dominate any collaboration with another organization.

Many strong and successful organizations function on this model and do great things. What they may not yet realize is that they can add one component to become even more successful, collaboration. Here are some of the qualities of collaborative leadership.

Signs You’re a Self-Aware, Collaborative Leader

  • You call on other organizations to help you.
  • You look for opportunities to work with others.
  • You don’t hesitate to refer people to other organizations.
  • You don’t feel threatened when someone else offers similar services, you look for ways to compliment each other.
  • You build mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations.
  • You want all organizations, including your own, to succeed.
  • You build a network to improve service delivery to clients.
  • You’re able to grow and address larger problems because you have other organizations backing you up.

Think about which approach most closely matches your leadership style. Being competitive can help you strive for excellence and build a strong organization. Being collaborative helps you join with other organizations to increase your ability to serve people. When you merge the two you become a collaborative leader, which helps you in the following ways.

Benefits of Being a Self-Aware, Collaborative Leader

  • Positive relationships with other organizations.
  • Pooling of resources.
  • Greater capacity to serve clients because of expanded network.
  • You don’t have to do everything on your own.
  • You have access to the brain power and insights of many more people.
  • Reduced duplication of services.
  • Other professionals seek you out because they know you’re a person who brings people together.
  • You create a sense of community.

The shift from a competitive to a self-aware, collaborative approach is a big one for many people, often because they haven’t had a lot of experience connecting with other entities. Leaders can make the shift anytime they want, all it takes is a desire to leave the castle walls and be open to working with others. The effect of collaboration is profound. It helps organizations move from being a single player to being part of a larger team working together to make a difference. What will you do to encourage self-aware, collaborative leadership in your organization?

Cheers,

Guy

Lack of Self-Awareness Leads to Sick People and Sick Societies

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Sick people build sick societies, which is the opposite of what self-aware, happy, healthy people do. Here are some of the signs of a lack of self-awareness that lead to a sick society:

  • People don’t like themselves and, by extension, each other.
  • People are territorial and against sharing.
  • Propensity toward violence to resolve disputes.
  • Us vs. them mentality.
  • Unable to build healthy relationships at every level, including with oneself, other people, and other nations.
  • Belief that improving one’s mental health is not possible or important.
  • Little value put on introspection or self-awareness.
  • Culture of materialism and greed.
  • Very little collaboration because everything is a competition.
  • Living in fear.

People in unhealthy societies will tend to lack self-awareness and believe that these types of behaviors are the only option they have, but there are countless other ways to build a more positive society; using impulses and skills that people have in them at this very moment. Picture a society where people make the shift toward being self-aware and building a healthy world, they might do things like:

  • Become as healthy as they can and help others do the same.
  • Share with others.
  • Resolve disputes without violence.
  • Embrace differences and diversity.
  • Build healthy relationships.
  • Value improving one’s mental health.
  • Value introspection and self-awareness.
  • Value kindness and compassion over greed.
  • Work together to build a better world for as many people as possible.
  • Live with courage and openness.

The irony of the second list is that, as human beings, we can do any of these things right this moment if we choose to do so. The only reason we don’t do them is because we’re stuck in the type of thinking that says we can’t be healthy at any level: personally, interpersonally, or globally. What will you do to increase your self-awareness and build a healthy society?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Better Team Building

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Self-awareness leads to better team building because participants are able to look at how their own emotions, thoughts, and actions lead to creating a healthier, more high-functioning organization where people get along and work well together.

I facilitate many team building workshops and the participants sometimes get confused when they realize they aren’t going to be climbing a tree or catching each other as they fall backward. It’s a natural reaction because a lot of what is presented as team building might actually be team bonding. Here’s the difference:

Team Building

  • Focuses on behaviors and their effect on workplace functioning.
  • Helps people learn how to work with each other and get along well.
  • Builds skills like communication, planning, problem-solving and conflict resolution.
  • Builds empathy and compassion.
  • Encourages long-term behavior change.
  • Helps people build genuine connections.
  • Is practiced over time.
  • Encourages deeper discussion and processing.

Team Bonding

  • Focus on fun activities.
  • Brings people together by encouraging collaboration and teamwork.
  • Helps people see each other in a different light.
  • Allows people to connect in a different setting.
  • Usually a one-time activity.
  • Helps people get out of the workplace and relax.
  • Encourages people to have fun together.
  • Sometimes asks people to think about the implications of the activities on their workplace.

The major difference between the two approaches is that team building is a long-term process that encourages self-awareness and creates behavioral change while team bonding tends to be a short-term, fun experience. If you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up then team bonding is your thing. If you’re looking at foundation building and long-term change then team building will help you get there.

As a leader, you get to choose what kind of workplace you create. I’ve found that highly successful (and happy) organizations commit to a long-term team building approach that helps people build self-awareness to think and behave in ways that benefit them and their work environment. Learning effective team building takes time and effort but it creates lasting success and a company culture that encourages positive behaviors. What will you do to develop self-awareness and promote effective team building in your organization?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness, Team Building, and Giving Your Employees a Voice

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Self-awareness can help you build a strong team building program and give your employees a voice. In our fast-paced workplaces, we tend to forget that everyone has valuable ideas and talents that they can share with the team.  When your employees don’t have a voice you may be missing out on vital ideas that could help you run your organization more smoothly and profitably. Self-aware leaders understand that everyone has their own areas of expertise that can help the organization function better.

Here are some practical ideas so you can give everyone voice.

  • Listen to your employees so you can learn from their wisdom and varied perspectives.
  • Stop talking. If you’re the only person talking then no one else is able to his or her voice.
  • Show people you value their voice. Invite participation and the exchange of ideas. Be open to comments and suggestions. Use people’s ideas and give them the opportunity to come up with more.
  • Create a culture of respect. All ideas are valid and nobody gets belittled because their idea seems unorthodox.
  • Encourage autonomy and personal leadership. Allow your employees to use their voices to do their jobs better and become leaders in their own niche.
  • Let people do things they enjoy. People are more likely to express their views and use their voices when they are doing work that is meaningful to them.
  • Encourage collaboration. Build teams where everyone’s voice is equally valid and each person’s input is highly valued.

How many of these ideas do you currently use in your workplace? If you use them all you will create a workplace where your employees feel like valuable members of your team. What will you do to practice self-awareness and give your employees a voice?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware Organizations Benefit from Diversity

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Leaders frequently ask me why they should pay attention to diversity at all in their organization. The answer is simply so they can bring people together to get more done. While this might sound obvious on the surface, it’s a principle that’s frequently overlooked by leaders who lack the self-awareness necessary to realize that their organization would benefit from people getting along well.

The whole point of making sure everyone is included in idea development, decision making, and workplace operations is so that your entire organization can benefit from the varied talents and abilities your employees bring to the table. It’s counterproductive when leaders lack self-awareness and pretend diversity doesn’t exist when they could be using it to succeed at higher levels. Here are some of the benefits of diversity:

  • Reduced conflict.
  • Improved morale.
  • Stronger teams.
  • Less mistrust.
  • Greater collaboration.
  • More buy-in from employees.
  • Increased employee motivation.

These are outcomes that leaders say they aspire to in their organizations but somehow, when they are associated with diversity, they get nervous. There’s really no reason to be apprehensive, it’s actually an opportunity to invite everyone to the table and prosper from their input. You and your organization will benefit in many ways. How will you increase your self-awareness and welcome diversity into your organization?

Cheers,

Guy

10 Practical Team Building Tips for Self-Aware Leaders

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Many leaders and organizations try to implement team building in one or two sessions only to find that their employees quickly revert to old behaviors. It takes self-awareness, time, and commitment for team building to take root and grow in any organization. It’s nearly impossible to move away from the behaviors you’ve built up over time and replace them with new, more effective ones without sustained effort. Here are ten practical tips to help you demonstrate and model self-awareness as a leader and implement a successful team building program.

  1. Make sure leadership is fully involved and sets a positive tone.
  2. Team building is offered to employees at every level.
  3. A one-hour time block per week is set aside for team building activities.
  4. Refrain from changing the team building schedule or combining it with other meetings.
  5. No interruptions during sessions, including people using phones, texting or being called out of the activities.
  6. Leave egos and agendas at the door, everyone is treated equally.
  7. Use an experienced, positive and neutral facilitator for activities.
  8. Focus on activities that build deeper interactions and relationships.
  9. Practice new behaviors over time.
  10. Evaluate how you’re doing after six months and make adjustments if necessary.

The key to successful team building is to have the self-awareness to model behavior and participate in activities that bring people together on a deeper level and help them acquire skills to keep moving forward. Practice team building over time so that everyone gets used to doing it. Once people are comfortable with your new approach, it will become second nature and your workplace will shift to one where collaboration and shared purpose are the norm. How will you practice self-awareness and promote long-term team building in your organization?

Cheers,

Guy

Conflict Resolution Requires Self-Awareness

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I recently facilitated a workshop on conflict resolution and I found it fascinating that almost no one possessed the self-awareness to understand their own role in conflict. I heard many comments about how the other person would be so much easier to get along with if they only did this or that but very little about what each participant would do himself or herself to improve the situation.

Conflict can be a horrible mess or it can be an opportunity for growth and increased understanding. The challenge for many people is that it requires putting their own issues aside in order to connect with someone else, which requires a high level of self-awareness. So how can you become more self-aware and resolve conflicts more easily? Try thinking of the following ideas the next time you feel a conflict coming on.

1. Be aware of your personal triggers. What sets you off?

2. Remember that you decide how you react to situations.

3. Only you can let someone make you mad.

4. Understand it’s not personal, people aren’t trying to slight you in general.

5. Learn to recognize exactly when someone is getting to you.

5. Where do you feel it? Identify where you feel the conflict in your body.

6. Do something different to interrupt the pattern.

If you deliberately give some thought to these areas you will find that you can increase your self-awareness, reduce the way conflict affects you, and move toward more positive interactions. It takes some discipline but it also affords you a way to not let conflict consume your life.

What will you do to develop your self-awareness and decrease the conflict around you?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy