Know Thyself

Hey there!

Scott here, and today we're diving into something that hit me like a ton of bricks during my own journey: self-awareness. Or as the Oracle in The Matrix would say, "temet nosce" - know thyself.

You know that scene where Neo visits the Oracle, and there's that Latin phrase above her kitchen door? It's not just some cool movie moment. It's the fundamental truth about leadership that nobody talks about enough.

Here's the kicker: The #1 reason leaders fail isn't lack of skills, experience, or even bad luck. It's lack of self-awareness. And trust me, I learned this the hard way.

Sure, I've taken every personality assessment under the sun - DISC, HBDI, StrengthsFinders, you name it. They're all sitting in my drawer somewhere telling me I'm a "Creative Connector Nurturer" with high empathy and futuristic thinking. Cool insights? Absolutely. Game-changing? Not by themselves.

The real gold? It came from the trenches. Let me share a story...

Remember when I told you about ending up in the ER with sky-high blood pressure? Everyone saw me as this successful executive who had it all together. But I was missing something crucial - awareness of how deeply I tied my identity to my job. It took a health crisis and some brutal feedback from people who cared enough to be honest with me to really see it.

That's the thing about self-awareness - it's not just about knowing your strengths and weaknesses. It's about understanding:

• How you show up in different situations
• What triggers your best (and worst) behaviors
• How your actions impact others
• Where your blind spots are hiding

Real talk: I thought I was self-aware because I could ace a personality test. But true self-awareness? That came from:

• Being open to feedback (even when it stung)
• Paying attention to patterns in my life (like why I kept hitting the same walls)
• Actually listening when people shared how my actions affected them
• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Here's what I've learned: Self-awareness isn't a destination - it's a constant journey of discovery. And it's the foundation for everything else in leadership. Without it, self-belief becomes arrogance, and self-accountability becomes either martyrdom or blame-shifting.

Your Move:

Want to start building better self-awareness? Here are three things you can do this week:

1. Ask for feedback from someone who sees you regularly in action - could be your spouse, a colleague, or a friend. The key? Don't defend. Just listen.
2. Start a "pattern journal" - at the end of each day, write down one situation where you felt either really good or really bad about how you handled it. Look for trends.
3. Before your next big decision or reaction, pause and ask yourself: "What's really driving this choice?" Often, it's not what we first think.

Next week, we'll dive into self-belief, but here's the truth - without self-awareness, belief in yourself is like building a house on sand. It might look good for a while, but it won't stand the test of time.

Remember, brother - the most powerful person you'll ever lead is yourself. And that starts with knowing who that person really is.

Keep pushing forward,

Scott

P.S. Hit reply and let me know - what's been your biggest self-awareness breakthrough? I love hearing these stories, and you never know who else might need to hear what you've learned.