Self-awareness is a leadership skill. Use it to your advantage.
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Leaders are honest with themselves and others. It takes confidence and courage to admit to an inadequacy, to say something unpopular or to be willing to learn something new. Honesty, coupled with good intentions, can garner respect and inspire others to be self-aware and honest with others. Here are five ways to demonstrate self-awareness and your leadership
1. Say, “I don’t know.”
If you do not know the answer to a question or are unfamiliar with an area, be honest. Say, “I don’t know.” You can add, “I will look into it.” People will respect your self-awareness and honesty.
2. Ask a question.
Asking a question does not admit lack of knowledge. Asking a question demonstrates interest and self-awareness to know when you need to understand more.
Think about an instance when someone asked a question you were hesitant to ask but wanted to know the answer. Perhaps you wished you had the courage and confidence like the other person to ask the question
3. Admit that you are wrong or made a mistake.
If you have taken action or failed to take action and an error occurred, acknowledge the problem. Don’t ignore it. Show that you are cognizant of the issue, and address it. It takes strength to admit an error. It is cowardly to act like the mistake did not happen.
4. Say “no.”
It takes self-awareness to say “no” to unethical requests, impractical business solutions or unrealistic demands on your time. Leaders have situational awareness and have the backbone to take a stand, when needed, to protect the success of their organization, their reputation or their health.
5. Do your research, and learn to understand.
Leaders are constantly learning. Leaders know what they don’t know and proactively seek ways to gain knowledge to be better. Professionals who are self-aware know that there is always the opportunity to be better. People respect a person’s commitment to master an area or topic.
Honesty makes you a better professional. You can better relate to people and inspire others to be honest. Admit you don’t know the answer, ask a question, acknowledge that you made a mistake, say “no” and learn. Rather than wasting time hiding from things, focus your energy on what matters like being a better manager and innovating.
How do you demonstrate self-awareness? Share with me your thoughts and stories via Twitter or LinkedIn.
