The Mental Exercise Great Leaders Do Every Day

If I were to ask you what makes a great leader, what would you say?

Maybe you’d mention that a leader is someone who is confident, inspiring, and proactive. Or, you might say a leader is someone who takes initiative—a person who asserts himself and takes charge. But I bet few of you would mention one of the most powerful leadership skills: self-awareness.

Self-awareness is defined as the conscious knowledge of one’s own character and feelings. When you’re self-aware, you understand all aspects of your personality—your strengths, weaknesses, motivations, emotions, and deep beliefs. You know what excites you and what really makes you tick.

So, what does having a clear understanding of your personal behavior have to do with being a great leader? According to Daniel Goleman, an emotional and social intelligence expert, leaders that are self-aware can not only recognize their own emotions, but also when their emotions negatively affect their work and the people that surround them. Being able to spot these issues early and head-on allows leaders to respond effectively and continue to build and sustain a positive working environment. In fact, leaders that demonstrate emotional self-awareness are much more likely to build positive, energized teams.

There are three key reasons why I practice self-awareness every day:

1.     It helps me connect the dots.

Self-awareness helps you look at situations with more clarity. While I wish I could say I’m always cool, calm, and collected, it’s simply not the case. Sometimes I get a little heated or pumped up and speak or act before I think. Practicing self-awareness helps me identify situations where I could have acted more rationally or said something to ease the tension. It makes me see how my thoughts and emotions can affect my body language and the vibe I give off to others.

2.     It helps me make better decisions.

Practicing self-awareness is kind of like a drug. It helps slow down life and shows you how to make better decisions. While yelling can sometimes feel right in the moment, it’s usually counterproductive to your end goal (unless you’re cheering your teammates on, in which case, yell!). Self-awareness helps me identify situations where I might be upsetting my colleagues or really pissing my wife off, and it encourages me to make better decisions.

The better that we understand ourselves—our habitual ways of acting and decision-making, our habitual ways of reacting to certain people and situations—the better we will be at responding in ways that are more effective.

3.     It helps me choose to be positive.

Self-awareness gives you a choice: You can continue to do things the same way and get angry or frustrated at every little thing, or you can choose to look on the bright side of life. Rather than snapping at a team member, give constructive feedback. Instead of being hard on yourself about a slow race, be proud that you completed the race. I don’t let the little things bring me down; I use them to continue to grow and improve myself.

Are you ready to get started?

The best way to dive into self-awareness is to start small.

Try this: Schedule ten minutes of meditation in your calendar today. You don’t need to chant anything. You don’t even have to close your eyes. Just sit still for ten minutes and notice your breath. Keep doing this every day for ten days and see how you feel. I bet you’ll be more aware of your behavior and attitude in no time.

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