Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! What does it take to become an effective leader? Self-awareness is one of the key attributes of effective leaders because it allows them to reflect honestly on their performance and adapt their leadership style. In this episode, Jeff talks about how being aware of your strengths, weaknesses, style, personality, and preferences can have a significant impact on how you behave and interact with others. If you are unaware, you risk creating an environment where people do not trust you and feel uncomfortable giving you feedback. This kind of situation will cause setbacks for your team, your company, and your personal growth.
Q: Think about a leader who is not self-aware. What qualities do they have? How would you rate your relationship with them on a scale of 1-10? What would it take for that relationship to improve? What do you do if you have a suggestion or a criticism directed toward?
Self-awareness is a continuous process. To be truly self-aware, you must dedicate time to reflecting on your actions every day and seek feedback from your team members and leaders frequently. As you grow, you will have new experiences, which will shape the way that you behave. Because your experiences are always changing, your behavior is always changing. The more willing you are to be reflective, the less of an impact your experiences will have on the way you interact with others and the more you will be able to stop negative patterns before they cause damage to your relationships.
Steps to becoming self-aware
Learn it
Power and authority can blind us to our weaknesses.
Seek honest feedback from loving critics; avoid those who praise or hate you.
Internally reflect upon the impact your interactions have on others.
Ask for candid feedback on your leadership style and behavior
Thank them for their feedback.
Listen closely and take their feedback seriously.
Q: What is your natural response when you see feedback from your team members? How do you respond to criticism? What do you think it would take for you to feel more comfortable receiving criticism?
Own it
Don’t be defensive and naïve.
People already know your flaws and weaknesses — there is no point hiding who you are.
To be a great leader, internal self-awareness is not enough; you must manage both — actively work on both seeing yourself clearly and getting feedback to understand how others see you.
Q: What do you think you should do when you see a disconnect between where you think you are and where your team members say you are? What would you say to a leader who would prefer to believe the best about themselves and is ignoring feedback from other people? Why do you think you keep yourself in a place where you can receive and implement feedback?
To lead others, we must learn to lead ourselves first. Increased self-awareness is not about becoming the perfect leader, but knowing how to modify your behavior so that it fits your values and helps you accomplish your objectives. No matter how much progress you make, there’s always more to learn about yourself.
Application Activities:
If you haven’t done so recently, conduct a 360 review. A 360 review is a survey that is given to your employees, peers, and supervisor so that you can see how other people rate your performance. Every person’s response is confidential, which allows them to give honest, thorough feedback. This is a great way to identify your strengths and weaknesses and better understand how your leadership style, personality, and actions affect those around you.
Use the results of your 360 review to create a personal development plan, either on your own, or with a coach, mentor, or supervisor. Hold yourself accountable to improve in 3-5 different areas over the next 6 months. Set check-points so that you can see how you are progressing at least once each month.
Spend some time thoughtfully reflecting on how you process feedback. When was the last time that you took someone’s feedback seriously? Challenge yourself to look at your underlying motivations. Do you get feedback just to see what you are doing right? Or, do you take action on other people’s suggestions? Do you get defensive, or do you welcome feedback?
Connect with Jeff Instagram: @thechampionforum Facebook: The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher Email: jeffhancher@thechampionforum.com
OCTOBER 30, 2019
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