The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership

During these challenging times, a leader who is more self-aware is better positioned to live and work in our VUCA — volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous — world. Leaders with a mindset of self-awareness can build stronger, more adaptable teams and achieve greater results.

How Self-Aware Are You?

Successful leadership is grounded in self-awareness. If you are self-aware, it means you have made (and are constantly updating) an accurate appraisal of your personality, of what motivates you, and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Being self-aware affects how you behave and interact with others and puts you in a better position to evaluate and adapt your leadership style when necessary.

Self-awareness in leadership is an understanding of how your personality traits, habits and abilities affect your interactions with the people around you, particularly in the workplace. Leaders who are self-aware actively reflect on how their words and actions are perceived by others and work to change any of their own shortcomings so they can lead their peers more effectively. Self-awareness leads to personal control and growth that helps leaders use their strengths to guide teams to the best possible outcomes.

Self-awareness (or lack thereof) in the workplace is probably one of the most overlooked qualities in a leader. People with this quality see themselves with clear eyes – they know their inadequacies and vulnerabilities. They understand their strongest qualities and lean into those abilities.

Someone who understands his own abilities and limitations also knows how to communicate effectively. A self-aware leader understands the importance and impact of the people around them. They can read between the lines and recognize lies. More importantly, they are conversationally and emotionally intelligent. 

Self-aware leaders admit their mistakes and shortcomings and learn from them. They accept feedback and use criticism to be better. They provide motivation; they know how to inspire struggling employees, and applaud those who are doing a good job. 

A self-aware leader is direct in his approach, clear in his communication, and skilled in setting expectations for the people he leads. 

Leaders with self-awareness stay composed in times of crisis and stressful situations. They are consistent in their performance and people want to follow their lead. Self-awareness is said to be the most important quality of a good leader.

Self-awareness is important in leadership for the following reasons:

Self-aware leaders help you make better choices: Good leaders are able to manage their own behavior and relationships with others. They have the self-knowledge to utilize their best qualities and compensate for their natural tendencies to make better decisions.

They help you understand what you can bring to the table: Having knowledge, skills, and experience in the industry, as well as the appropriate personal characteristics, allow a good leader to be better at undertaking his responsibilities within an organization. 

You can motivate your team with realistic expectations: Part of good leadership is inspiring your team to work hard and be better. However, good leaders also know how to balance what they want the team to accomplish and what is realistic. For example, good leaders set goals for the next five years and share that vision with their team.

Self-aware leaders are also usually great conflict mediators because they are able to step outside of their own perspective and see problems from other people’s perspectives. This can apply to conflicts within teams, within the company at large and with individual employees.

Key Characteristics of a Self-Aware Leader

Do you know what defines a self-aware leader? These are some of the characteristics that s/he must possess: 

Adaptable: He assesses situations and responds accordingly by changing behavior and mindset.

Discerning: He makes wise decisions when handling different situations.

Empathetic: He listens and understands the needs of others and relates to his people as he leads.

Humble: He understands his strengths and weaknesses, he doesn’t brag about his successes and he corrects his shortcomings.

Observant: He pays attention to what’s going on around him and takes cues from his environment.

Perceptive: He anticipates the outcome of any situation.

Reflective: He sees his own actions, words, and thoughts, and communicates these well with others.

Self-controlled: He manages his own words, actions, and emotions.

Finally, here are some tips to develop self-awareness:

• Practice mindfulness, and always consider the people around you
• Empathize with everyone as much as possible. Consider other people’s feelings as you communicate with them and make decisions that impact them. Pay attention to their emotional needs. Know that you are sending a message to other people without even saying a single word. You communicate your feelings with your demeanor. Your mood is the energy you show to the world. So be mindful of your body language. 
• Be receptive to your traits.

As I said earlier, you need to know yourself and identify your strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, you need to be mindful of the circumstances that cause you to exhibit certain traits. Recognize right from wrong, and always what is good. 

And keep an open mind. Stay curious and be open to new ideas. Don’t hesitate to entertain alternative viewpoints. People look at different situations from their own perspective and their viewpoint may offer you fresh ideas you haven’t thought of before.