You're facing setbacks as a leader. How can self-awareness help you bounce back and adjust your strategies?

Self-awareness is an important foundational area for emotional intelligence. Those who have high self-awareness demonstrate self-confidence, a realistic self-assessment of strengths and limitations and have self-deprecating sense of humor. We can all continuously learn to be more self-aware. Emotions have the thinking component so we can learn to be more emotionally intelligent. How? 1) Notice how we are feeling & keep notes; 2) Listen to what our emotions tell us; 3) See ourselves as a friend sees us. Key is knowing self through assessment tools, seeking feedback from others, reflecting, internalizing & acting on them. Remember that we have our “Johari window”, where one part of the window are "things we don’t know that others may know".

Do you resist feedback? Are you too busy to listen? Are you a know-it-all? Do you seek input from limited sources? Do you shut people out to protect your feelings? Do you get defensive when people offer feedback? Do you seek input only from people with status? Do you let your ego stop you from requesting input? Do you surround yourself with “yes” people? Do you think negative feedback is another way of saying, “You failed”? Open Your Eyes and Open Your Mind

Self awareness is more than just concept of self. We need to work on our embodied self-awareness which means learning to listen to our bodies, brains, and the neural networks sending messages on our bodies. 95% of what we do is unconscious - bringing awareness to some of this helps cultivate greater self- awareness.

Self-awareness can be achieved by knowing one’s own strengths and weaknesses, which can improve one’s capacity to build better relationships with other people.

True self-awareness leads to vulnerability. It’s the vulnerability of acknowledging what we don’t know, what we are afraid of, and what we fear the most. It’s like the cave we fear to enter that holds the answers we seek. Without vulnerability, there is no true growth in the face of setbacks. Every time we allow ourselves to get in touch with our vulnerability, we realize we are in contact with our own strength.

"Seek first to understand then be understood" - one of the 7 habits of the highly effective people, a classic from author Stephen Covey. It sounds simple yet it's very hard to execute as receiving feedback seems harder for a leader than giving feedback. Some tips to seek & receive feedback, and make the most out of it: * Take it as a gift, a mirror * Avoid defensive mechanism * Clarify the areas which you are not sure * Value both strengths and the improvement areas * Think about the suggestions, how you feel about it and what you will do about it

How can you address weaknesses if you’re blind to your flaws? How can you have meaningful relationships if you build walls around yourself? How will you know if your ideas are sound if you don’t let people challenge them? The only difference between being uninformed and misinformed is that one is your choice and the other is theirs.

Self-awareness prevents you from being delusional. It is because you know your emotions and deep down you know when you are telling lies to yourself. This will eventually prevent you from ignoring your mistakes and making wrong decisions. Instead, it encourages you to confront your mistakes and makes you listen to others to improve. The moment you listen to the people you are leading, you will be able to find out why you are facing setbacks as a leader. Thus, you have the opportunity to improve, bounce back, and adjust your strategies to become successful. At the same time, a leader with no self-awareness may not doubt himself at all, never consider listening to others, and continue with his failed style of leadership.

Awareness before Change is the way to go! When it comes to a leadership role, many people get affected by the way one leads. Investing in self-reflection, seeking feedback, and having a mentor can immensely help. Knowing that you are bound to make mistakes in your journey and every mistake is a pathway to work on yourself more- kind of attitude can do wonders!

When you resist input, ignore feedback, select ideas from the chosen few, and live behind closed doors, you’re going nowhere fast. You’re stifling your ability to learn, destroying your ability to grow, and shutting your eyes to reality. Some folks believe that if you don’t know your weaknesses, you don’t have any. The reality is, closing your eyes to problems doesn’t make them disappear. They’re right under your nose even if you’re unwilling to face them. Therefore, don’t fear what you may learn about yourself, worry about what you don’t. Are you living in the dark? It’s time to see the light.

Personal Development Isn’t a Checkoff Item Personal development shouldn’t be a checkoff item that you’re “forced” to do a couple of times a year. It requires a conscious effort to better yourself every day. It will never be urgent — unless you make it so. It will never be convenient, but that shouldn’t stop you. And the benefit may not be visible right away. But I can assure you that every step forward is a step in the right direction. The only thing standing in your way of becoming the best you can be is the desire, willingness, and commitment to make the effort. It’s your choice. Say “yes” to knowing and being more, or you’ll never know what you’re missing.