Growth And Awareness: Staying On Top Of Your Game
As a facilitator in the modern work environment, it’s almost a given that you have witnessed, diagnosed and even facilitated through issues of, or the fallout from, complacency in the workplace. Complacency is a state of mind where an individual is too comfortable with their present state to venture into unknown territory. And it can be rooted in the belief that you’re on the leading edge of success without necessarily taking steps to make sure you are. Common signs of workplace complacency include that the incumbent stops investing in themselves, doesn’t take risks and even loses their passion.
I’m a firm believer that any consultant or facilitator of change is only as good as their last handful of engagements or projects. And in a world where the rate of change is enough to make your head spin, complacency could be a killer. Over the past 6 months, we’ve seen huge change in the consulting world. Some have done it quickly and well, some are just peering out of the woods, and others have simply gone quiet. But it’s a good reminder for all of us that we need to keep our eyes open and looking ahead. And importantly continue to invest in ourselves to ensure we remain relevant, agile and able to deliver value.
Our internal awareness is where I want to focus. And guess what? It starts with you. Like the chef who never cooks at home or the professional cleaner with a constant messy house, it’s easier for the experienced facilitator to ask of others what they never ask of themselves: continual self awareness, leading to continual self-growth.
Here are 3 simple ways to expose yourself to greater awareness and growth.
Other awareness isn’t self awareness
Most of us have an inbuilt sense of ‘other-awareness’. We notice which of our friends is habitually late, or which workshop participant dominates the conversation or is less engaged. But do you have the same strong sense about your own ‘self awareness’? Your own personality or character. Your tendencies in speech and action. And your own strengths, weaknesses, assumptions, motivations, and emotions.
We need to understand our own attitudes and actions to ensure we too are learning and that our facilitation strategies are constructive. And, as much as we can, we need to understand how our facilitation style and manner is perceived by others. Are we doing or saying things that work against our intention and our role? Does our behavior make us seem impatient, cold or disinterested? Are we able to remain neutral in conversations when we have strong opinions?
If we have a high level of self awareness, we notice these things and can make changes in speech and behavior that may otherwise be unhelpful.
Self regulation matters
Until we’re aware of our own tendencies, it’s difficult to make sense of other’s reactions to us, and to make changes to become more effective in our work – and more resilient if things go wrong. Typically, the disconnect comes between self awareness and self regulation. You might well do the hard work of developing self awareness, like recognizing the way you appear to others, learning their triggers, naming their emotions – and this is very worthwhile self-development. But this is only helpful when you act on that knowledge and change those behaviors and tendencies that aren’t serving you – or others – well.
There’s growing evidence of the critical role self regulation plays in success and leadership, and certainly in being an effective facilitator. It’s about practising self-control, adapting to new situations, striving to improve, and remaining persistent in the face of setbacks. It means recognizing your triggers and changing the way you react. It’s not always easy, but recognizing your triggers is a critical part of self regulation. Do you ever find, for example, you’re not the patient, compassionate problem solver you believe yourself to be? And how unusually irritated you become in the presence of a certain colleague or client?
Self-reflection is a great starting point
For most of us, self-reflection doesn’t happen naturally (or often enough). Most of us don’t want to do it, but once we do, we intuitively know we should have started much earlier. One quick way for a facilitator to start self-reflection is to check in with the areas they’re using their skills in and how effective these are for their clients.
Questions to reflect on to help you evaluate your own performance include how do you feel about this group? Are there difficulties in working with this group, and what’s going well? What skills are you using to enhance the work of the group, and what might you do differently to help the group meet its needs?
Personal growth is meant to feel uncomfortable. And, as the old saying goes, the magic happens outside your comfort zone. If you stick with what is comfortable, you’re giving up on surprising yourself, finding greatness, or having the best experiences life has to offer. And isn’t having the best experience life has to offer the whole point?
About the Author
Ainsley Jeffery is founder and CEO of facilitatr. She’s a team strategist and people geek, sought-after facilitator, coach and change manager, health advocate and closet creative.