One of the most important ways for leaders to develop self-awareness is through self-reflection. Taking regular time each day to privately and thoughtfully reflect on your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and their impact on others can lead to profound insights. Ask yourself thoughtful questions like: How did I handle that difficult situation? What emotions was I feeling? What impacted my decision making? Was I fully present and listening? What could I improve? Maintaining a self-reflection journal can make your insights even more impactful over time by allowing you to track patterns and progress.
Seeking honest, constructive feedback from direct reports and peers is another valuable way for leaders to boost self-awareness. Make yourself open and approachable so that others feel comfortable providing candid input on your leadership strengths as well as areas for growth. Actively asking others for feedback also signals that you’re committed to continuous learning and improvement. Be careful not to get defensive when receiving critical comments – treat the feedback as a gift to help sharpen your skills.
Taking personality or leadership assessments, while not definitive, can also spark useful self-reflection for leaders wondering how they’re being perceived. Tools like the MBTI, 360 feedback surveys, or emotional intelligence tests offer a lens into your preferences, tendencies, and potential blind spots that may be worth exploring further through self-inquiry and journaling. Regular self-assessments can also help identify areas of strength or difficulty that you may want to target for developmental focus.
Coaching or mentoring relationships can powerfully support leaders in building self-awareness over the long-term. Meeting regularly with an objective sounding board gives leaders a structured process for unpacking experiences, examining underlying beliefs and patterns, and evaluating progress toward professional and personal goals. Qualified coaches have sophisticated tools and questions that can guide insightful self-analysis helping leaders more clearly recognize how their inner world influences outward behaviors and relationships.
Developing emotional intelligence involves consciously practicing new skills like active listening, self-regulation of difficult emotions, understanding varying perspectives, and empathy. Leaders can strengthen these abilities by first educating themselves on emotional intelligence competencies and models. From there, setting specific, measurable developmental goals will keep progress tangible – for example, “This month I will actively listen without interruption for at least 2 full minutes each meeting.” Keeping a log to record experiences and reflections on developing each skill can help cement new habits.
Shadowing or observing other respected leaders can also be profoundly impactful for boosting self-awareness. By watching another’s leadership style up close without direct involvement, you can gain clarity on your own tendencies by comparison. Taking thorough observation notes then critically reflecting on similarities and differences between your approach fosters learning. Also ask the shadowed leader for their perspectives on your strengths and growth areas based on what they’ve witnessed of your own leadership over time.
Committing to ongoing personal development as a leader through reading, courses or conferences is another way to stay self-aware. Staying current on the latest research related to leadership, change management, emotional intelligence or a particular industry challenges us to continuously elevate our skills. Journalling learnings then applying them to our context elevates this development. Summaries or discussions with peers allow us to learn from each other on implementation challenges or creative solutions discovered.
Practicing regular self-reflection, soliciting feedback, conducting self and skills assessments, pursuing coaching/mentoring, skill-building, observing exemplars, and continuous learning are highly effective methods for cultivating the self-awareness and emotional intelligence competencies that define extraordinary leadership. Leaders that make an ongoing commitment to self-development through a combination of these impactful strategies will see exponential growth in their ability to maximize their strengths while managing weaknesses – positively transforming their leadership approach and career trajectory.