The Role of Self Awareness in Leadership: A Mindful Approach Part 1

In this article, we'll explore the vital role self-awareness plays in leadership and how you can use it to your advantage. You'll discover practical strategies to develop self-leadership, learn the importance of emotion regulation, and see how self-reflection can lead to better decision-making. We'll also look at how self-awareness contributes to personal growth, helps manage stress, and enables you to build stronger team relationships. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of how to use self-awareness to become a more resilient, empathetic, and impactful leader.

The Self-Aware Leader's Toolkit

Self-awareness is a fundamental skill that can transform your leadership journey. By developing a deeper understanding of yourself, you gain valuable insights into your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This self-knowledge enables you to make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and lead with greater authenticity.

Self-reflexion techniques

One of the most powerful tools in a leader's toolkit is self-reflection. Taking time to pause and evaluate your thoughts, behaviours, and decisions can strengthen your awareness and help you identify patterns in your leadership style. To cultivate this practice, consider scheduling 10 to 20 minutes a week for self-reflection in a quiet, calm place without distractions [1]. During these sessions, ask yourself questions like:

· What went well this week?

· What did I learn?

· What would I want to improve?

By acknowledging your insights and determining actionable steps, you can continuously grow as a leader.

Emotional regulation strategies

Effective leaders understand the importance of managing their emotions, especially in high-pressure situations. Emotional regulation involves influencing which emotions you have, when you have them, and how you experience and express them [2]. To enhance your emotional intelligence, consider these strategies:

1. Accept rather than suppress your feelings: Recognise and acknowledge your emotions instead of trying to ignore them.

2. Take a body break: When feeling overwhelmed, reconnect with your body to give your mind a rest.

3. Analyse your patterns: Inspect your emotional triggers and limits to better understand how to handle them.

By mastering these techniques, you can respond to your feelings purposefully rather than reactively, leading to improved performance and job satisfaction [3].

Mindfulness exercises for leaders

Incorporating mindfulness into your leadership practice can significantly enhance your self-awareness and decision-making abilities. Mindfulness involves being present in the moment and observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Here are some exercises you can try:

4. Mindful breathing: Take a few moments before meetings to focus on your breath, helping you centre yourself and reduce stress.

5. Body scan: During breaks, practise a quick body scan to release tension and refocus your attention.

6. Mindful walking: Use your lunch break to engage in a mindful walk, leaving your devices behind and staying present in the moment.

By cultivating mindfulness, you can develop a clearer understanding of yourself and your surroundings, leading to more effective and compassionate leadership [4].

Incorporating these self-awareness tools into your daily routine can help you become a more resilient, empathetic, and impactful leader. Remember, self-awareness is an ongoing journey, and consistent practice is key to reaping its benefits in your leadership role.

Bridging Self-Awareness and Effective Leadership

Self-awareness is the cornerstone of effective leadership. It involves having a clear understanding of your values, strengths, weaknesses, and preferred communication methods. By developing self-awareness, you can align your values with your leadership approach, ensuring authenticity and consistency in your actions.

Understanding personal strengths and limitations

To become a more effective leader, it's crucial to identify your leadership strengths and areas for improvement. You can start by engaging in introspection or seeking feedback from peers. Tasha Eurich, an industrial/organisational psychologist, emphasises this practice but cautions that "to gain true insight, we also have to learn how to hear the truth—not just listen to it, but hear it."

To gain a structured understanding of your strengths and areas for improvement, consider using tools like the HIGH5 leadership strengths test. This test provides actionable insights for personal and professional growth, helping you pinpoint your key strengths and identify areas that need development.

Remember, understanding your weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths. By being honest with yourself, you can grow into a more successful leader with high emotional intelligence.

Aligning values with leadership actions

When your values align with your leadership approach, your behaviour becomes consistent and predictable. Your team can rely on you to make decisions based on a set of guiding principles rather than personal biases or external pressures. This consistency builds trust and creates a positive work environment where team members feel valued and supported.

To ensure your values and actions are aligned, regularly reflect on your behaviour. Ask yourself, "Did I role-model how I want others to be?" Make sure you know what your core values are and to what extent you're embodying these values as a leader. When you know your values, you often feel it in your body when you've violated them—it's now up to you to decide how you will realign yourself.

Cultivating empathy and compassion

Empathy and compassion play a critical role in service-oriented leadership, enabling you to understand and connect with the people you serve. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, while compassion involves taking action to address their needs.

To develop these essential skills:

7. Practise active listening: Fully engage with others and pay attention to their needs and concerns.

8. Seek feedback: Ask for input from employees, customers, and stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives.

9. Practice self-reflection: Take time to reflect on your own experiences and emotions to better understand others.

10. Take action: Be driven to help others by volunteering, supporting charitable causes, or addressing the needs of those you serve.

11. Build relationships: Take the time to connect with employees, customers, and stakeholders to understand their needs and develop more effective solutions.

By cultivating empathy and compassion, you can create a positive impact on the lives of others and achieve better outcomes for your customers, employees, and stakeholders. Remember, these traits are not innate but skills that can be developed over time with practice and dedication.

References

[1] - https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1814062/five-ways-leaders-practise-self-reflexion-why-its-important-business-growth

[2] - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01486/full

[3] - https://www.sigmaassessmentsystems.com/great-leaders-regulate-their-emotions/

[4] - https://www.grokker.com/blog/mindful-leadership-exercises