Have you ever wondered why some leaders seem to be deeply grounded – while others get blindsided by their own behaviour?
The difference often comes down to one leadership skill: self-awareness.
Self-awareness has two parts:
- Internal Self-Awareness – is all about how clearly you see yourself – your values, your strengths, your triggers, your motivations and patterns.
An example: Instead of getting frustrated and leading with “it’s the other person’s fault” – simply pause and notice that you are getting triggered and defensive when your ideas are challenged.
- External Self-Awareness – it’s all about how accurately you understand the way others perceive you.
Again, an example: Realising that while you think you’re being passionate in a meeting, others may experience you as dominating the conversation.
But when both are developed – internal and external self-awareness – it helps leaders:
- Make better, more conscious decisions.
- Build trust and authentic relationships.
- Manage stress and reactions effectively.
- Align behaviour with values and long-term goals.
As Dr. Tasha Eurich puts it in her book Insight, “self-awareness is the meta-skill of the 21st century” – because it unlocks growth, adaptability and genuine leadership.
When was the last time you paused to ask, “How do I perceive myself – and how do others perceive me?”
Meet the author
An Executive Coaching Point of View (ExCoVi)
As an Executive Master Coach and Trainer, I am very fortunate to work with various talented, high-achieving and wonderful people. Every time I coach, I learn something new about my client, our society and myself. The summary of thoughts is based on emerging themes across all kinds of interactions I have; be it one-on-one executive coaching, group coaching or coaching training. ExCoVis are meant to invite people to think differently based on scientifically or statistically proven understanding and lateral thinking. None of the content is meant to offend anyone in any way and is rather an invitation to discuss different executive points of view with respect and integrity. The content is shared to raise awareness and to inspire people to integrate their conscious and unconscious mind and therefore transform unconscious behaviour into conscious behaviour.
GAIA Coaching – Your boutique executive coaching partner – Sydney, Australia.