Developing Self-Awareness

They argued that you feel uncomfortable, unhappy and negative when your behavior conflicts with your standards. In contrast, you feel positive and self-confident when your behavior and values are aligned.

Sometimes self-awareness is confused with self-consciousness, but they’re different. Self-consciousness is the excessive preoccupation with your own behavior or appearance. Self-awareness involves focusing on how your behavior impacts others.

The Link Between Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

In the Building Better Managers report, the framework for measuring managers' key capabilities clusters 12 interlinked skills into four groups. Three relate to manager responsibilities: motivation, development, and setting expectations. The fourth is Emotional Intelligence.

Strong self-awareness is an essential element of emotional intelligence. It enables you to understand and control your emotions and regulate your actions.

Of the managers surveyed, 72 percent listed self-awareness/self-regulation, social sensitivity or empathy as one of their “top five” essential capabilities. [3]

When you combine self-awareness with social sensitivity (the ability to tune in to verbal and nonverbal cues) and empathy (recognizing how you affect the feelings and actions of others), you demonstrate emotional intelligence.

Managers with higher emotional intelligence have a greater positive impact on business outcomes, like innovation and productivity. But they also significantly influence people outcomes, such as employee motivation and development.

The Benefits of Self-Awareness

Research also shows a strong link between self-awareness and high performance in managers. Conversely, managers without emotional control, or who experience emotional fatigue, risk harming their team’s mental health. [4]

When you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can use those strengths intentionally and manage or eliminate your weaknesses. In one study, researchers found that leaders who were aware of their strengths were more self-confident, more highly paid, and happier at work. [5]

You also increase your credibility with your team when you can admit what you don't know, and have the humility to ask for help when needed.

How to Develop Self-Awareness

Developing self-awareness takes time and work, but the benefits lead to a more fulfilling career.

1. Explore Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Start building self-awareness by learning where you are strongest and weakest. A Personal SWOT Analysis will help you better understand and identify these strengths and weaknesses.

Interestingly, the data collected in the Building Better Managers report revealed that newer managers were more eager to discover their strengths and weaknesses than those who’d held their positions for over three years. [6]

Of course, experienced managers develop a clearer understanding of what they’re good at, but the study shows that they improve only by a factor of 1.12, after five or more years. So there’s always room for improvement.

2. Reflect on the Impact You Have

When you’re self-aware, you understand how you instinctively think, connect with others, communicate, and make decisions.

A valuable method to gain insight is to keep a journal where you write about your day, what you did, the emotions you experienced and expressed, and their consequences. This helps you think about what does and doesn't work for you and will actively raise self-awareness on how your behavior affects others.

Consider taking a break for five or 10 minutes a day to meditate. Meditation helps broaden and strengthen your self-awareness, and it can also lower stress.

Another great way to self-reflect is to measure your self-awareness. Research measuring the effects of self-awareness found that self-reflection and insight predicted positive business outcomes. [7]

3. Focus on Others

People who are self-aware and practice self-regulation are conscious of how their words and actions influence others.

To become more aware of how you affect others, learn how to manage your emotions. Take time to weigh what you say carefully. Think about how the person you're speaking to might react.

Stop immediately if you find yourself taking your stress, anger or frustrations out on others. Instead, see if you can find something positive about the situation. Take a few deep breaths, or even walk away if you can't control your emotions.

Explore self-regulation techniques to manage your behavior – managers who self-regulate work more effectively and report higher financial performance. [8]

When you control your words and actions, it doesn't mean you're being false. Instead, it shows that you care about others enough not to say or do something that might negatively affect them.

Showing  humility is an integral part of this. When you're humble, you focus your attention and energy on others, not yourself.

4. Ask for Feedback

Getting feedback is vital to create self-awareness. It’s often the only way to discover issues you might have difficulty facing directly. (See our article on the Johari Window for more on this.)

You can get feedback from your colleagues and team members, either with direct questions or with 360° Feedback. Asking for feedback from the people around you provides an opportunity to view your behavior from their perspective. What's more, it can help you identify weaknesses you can't see or would prefer to ignore.

Does your team feel secure enough to give you honest feedback? Consider your affective presence and what it brings to your work environment.

Affective presence is how we make others feel when we’re around them, regardless of our intentions. Managers who ignore how their emotional state impacts others will likely have a negative affective presence. Those who elicit positive effects are more popular among their peers, which can lead to better teamwork and innovation.

When your team feels safe to provide honest feedback, you’re more likely to discover where you need to improve.

Let's Act

You can get started on developing self-awareness by writing a journal. In the evening, set aside a few minutes to reflect quietly about your day, and then write down your thoughts.

Ask yourself:

• What has happened since my last journal entry?
• What mistakes have I made?
• What have I learned?
• What would I do differently next time, and why?

Don’t forget to record the good stuff too!

Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Awareness

Where do I start with developing my self-awareness?

Take time out to identify and analyze your strengths and weaknesses.

What are the benefits?

Managers with self-awareness are higher performing and have better employee productivity.

How do I raise my self-awareness?

Focus on others and how your behavior affects them. Stay humble.

When will I see the benefits?

There’s no set outcome, but you can measure the results using self-awareness scales alongside worker productivity stats, which should increase over time.