The Undeniable Strength of Self-Awareness

Right off the bat, it is worth mentioning that, according to Harvard Business Review, "95% of people think they’re self-aware, only 10 to 15% actually are.”

So, odds are, the article could benefit you and many of the people around you. I’ll be honest. Self-awareness is something I am continually working on. And I will freely admit that because I view leadership skills as something that is forever a work in progress – nobody is perfect.

What is Self-Awareness

Let’s dig right in – what truly is self-awareness? Well, it’s having a clear perception of your whole self. This includes your personality, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, emotions, thought processes, and personal beliefs. All those idiosyncrasies that make you, you. Being self-aware also allows you to understand others and how they see you.

Simply, if you don’t know yourself, you’ll never fully comprehend those around you, either.

Why Do We Want It?

According to Psychology Today: "Self-awareness involves monitoring our stress, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. It is important because it’s a major mechanism influencing personal development."

On a personal level, it can help strengthen and improve your relationships. On a professional level, it’s an ability that may be the leg-up you’ve been seeking. In fact, "a survey of 75 members of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council rated self-awareness as the most important capability for leaders to develop.”

How Do We Develop It?

The million-dollar question! There are actually two, scientifically-identified, forms of self-awareness: internal and external.

• Internal – It’s how we see ourselves, and it is most associated with higher personal and professional satisfaction and happiness. But, it can also be tied negatively to anxiety, stress, and depression.
• External - This is the ability to understand how others view us, and people who harness it are more skilled at showing empathy and seeing things from the perspectives of others.

Both are important, and both need to be appropriately cultivated in order to best avoid the potential negatives they may bring with them in tow. It’s a delicate balance, but it is doable.

Don’ts

When it comes to refining these two abilities, researchers have found that experience and power are not always the best teachers. The former can result in some of us not wanting to do the homework necessary to cultivate self-awareness (I mean, we’ve been around the block so we must know everything, right?). And, the latter can lead to overconfidence in our performance and, therefore, we overestimate our self-knowledge as well.

Introspection can also be a prickly pear. If we don’t do it right, then we could accidentally reaffirm our own biases.

Dos

We’re best served when we regularly seek frequent critical feedback (i.e., reach out to colleagues, employees, etc.) and loving critics (i.e., talk to the people you know love you, want you to do well, and are still up for a bit of real talk).

Also, when looking inward, don’t ask “why?” Ask “what?” – as in, “what situations upset me the most, and what do they have in common?” Not, “why am I upset?”

What Now?

We have a principle we live by at Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group?, and that’s stay curious. And, it surely applies to this journey of exploration.

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that self-awareness is something I continually work on, and that’s not by happenstance. We are constantly being confronted by new situations that lead to new reactions, and they all bear exploring.

So, stay curious – there’s always more to learn!