Self-Awareness and the Workplace
You may be thinking, why is self-awareness important in the workplace? Isn't self-awareness just another ego-boosting mindset that leaves everyone else in the dust? Shouldn't your credentials and experience be enough? Is this another one of those soft and cuddly trending words that really means every man for himself?
Well, the answer to all those questions is a resounding "no." Let's take a minute to define self-awareness as it can be manifested in a person's life, workplace, and, yes, home.
What is Self-Awareness?
According to Jessie Zhu, a personal and executive coach, writing for Positive Psychology Program, the theory of self-awareness can be traced back to psychologists Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund, who, in 1972, labeled self-awareness a primary tool for nurturing self-control.
When we focus our attention on ourselves, we evaluate and compare our current behavior to our internal standards and values. We become self-conscious as objective evaluators of ourselves.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman called self-awareness:
Knowing one's internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions.
Zhu, herself, defines self-awareness like this:
Self-awareness goes beyond merely accumulating knowledge about ourselves. It is also about paying attention to our inner state with a beginner's mind and an open heart. Our mind is extremely skillful at storing information about how we react to a certain event to form a blueprint of our emotional life.
Why Does Self-Awareness Matter?
Learning the ability to monitor our emotions and thoughts minute by minute is critical for understanding ourselves, being at peace with ourselves, and deliberately managing our ideas. Dr. Tasha Eurich calls herself a businesswoman first and a psychologist second. She says approximately 95% of the population thinks they have self-awareness skills in place. She says the truth is actually that only 10% to 15% actually possess self-awareness.
We are not always great judges of ourselves. If we all think we are self-aware, workplaces will continue to move unaware people up the ladder which benefits no one.
When people are able to understand what drives them, what they're passionate about, and know the impact they have on individuals around them, they become more productive. These are the people who get promoted at a faster rate and are able to create businesses that are financially successful.
Self-awareness matters because it:
Helps people understand those who are around them
Pushes you to listen to other people
Causes you to become vulnerable
Forces you to become courageous
Assists you in seeing yourself as others see you
Ripples down all the way to customers and shareholders
How to Achieve a Superior Sense of Self-Awareness
Becoming self-aware is not a quick fix. But, Eurich suggests you begin your journey with these three steps.
1. Make a commitment to learning the truth about you. Be open to criticism. Become an open-minded individual.
2. Find someone you trust and who wants the best for you. Make sure this person is honest and direct. Ask them to tell you how you are doing in your current position. This person is called your "loving critic."
3. Consider getting a personal coach. Choose a coach who will help evaluate your perceptions of yourself at work. Take things slowly and begin working on the areas that can be improved.
Becoming Self-Aware in the Workplace
Upper Management
Many times, leaders in business find themselves bullying those below them, or overpowering those who suggest a change or ask "why." The result of this sort of management is some employees will pull back from this behavior and, in turn, will not live up to their own potential.
An administration that makes things difficult for workers or is just unlikeable is responsible for many employees' exit from the company, and replacing them can be pricey reports AmericanProgress.org.
CEOs
Chinwe Esimai, writing for Forbes, explains that the most critical capability for leaders is to develop self-awareness, according to "How to Become a Better Leader, published in the MIT Sloan Management Review. Successful leaders, says the article:
know where their natural inclinations lie and use this knowledge to boost those inclinations or compensate for them.
A study from the Hay Group Research found that 19% of executives who were women interviewed exhibited self-awareness skills. Only 4% of their male counterparts showed signs of being self-aware.
Employees
Workers will also improve as they become more self-aware. When they understand the benefits of self-awareness, they will:
Be more confident
Become more open-minded
Embrace new thoughts and ideas
Accept others' shortcomings
Enter into projects that help them develop personally
See their place in and contributions to the company
Begin to understand their personal value system
Realize their own strengths