Leadership Speaker, Dr. Tasha Eurich is an Organizational Psychologist who studies self-awareness.
She suggests the most important skill you can have is self-awareness because if you see yourself clearly you are more productive, creative and happier. There is a comfort in knowing yourself even though you may not always like what we see.
Self-aware people are more productive, easier to get along with and less likely to lie, cheat are steal.
Some people think they are self-aware and some actually are. A startling 95 percent of people think they ’re self aware and only 15 percent actually are.
Also surprising is that thanks to social media and other factors, society has become more self-absorbed and less self-aware.
Don't Ask Why
The leadership speaker suggests questioning your past does not increase self-awareness.
Thinking about ourselves isn't related to knowing ourselves. Analyzing ourselves doesn't lead us towards the truth about ourselves, it leads us away. Because so much is hidden from self awareness we will often be wrong.
So don't ask why instead ask what. Don't ask why you lost your job, but what you can do to find a new one. Don't ask why I hate my job but ask what part of my job makes me feel bad and what do I like about it.
There are Two types of Self Awareness:
Internal. This is an inward understanding of who you are. If you lack clarity of who you are and where you stand in the world, your internal self-awareness is low. You can develop this with self-exploration tools like journaling, counseling, meditation and more.
External. This is having an appreciation of how other people see us. If you lack external awareness, you have no clue what impression you leave on others, intentional or not. Here simple adjustments can make a big difference.
Interestingly, these are actually two separate, unrelated things. Someone can be highly self-aware but be very dense to how others perceive them ( and visa versa)
Research also shows senior executives are less self aware than the front line or middle management.
In your search for self-awareness try taking personality tests, understanding how your past impact who you are, asking for feedback and writing down goals and priorities.
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