How to Build Self-Awareness Through Feedback

Harsh leadership truth: Many leaders have a critical blind spot. Self-awareness. They're often shocked when 360-degree feedback reveals their leadership style is demotivating or demoralizing. The root cause is usually one of two things: #1 They've never sought out candid feedback about the impact of their leadership #2 They lack the tools to assess their own strengths and weaknesses objectively This blind spot can have disastrous consequences: • Employee engagement plummets as team morale erodes • High-potential talent leaves to find a better leader elsewhere • The leader's career trajectory stalls as their reputation suffers The good news is self-awareness can be developed with intentional effort. Here are 3 strategies I use to help leaders close this gap: #1 Institutionalize Feedback Implement regular 360-degree reviews to gather input from direct reports, peers and managers. Supplement with frequent informal check-ins. The key is to position feedback as a gift – not a threat. #2 Leverage Assessments Use scientifically validated tools like StrengthsFinder or DISC to build self-understanding. Debriefing the results with a certified coach provides powerful "aha" moments and actionable insights. #3 Examine Impact vs. Intent Have leaders map out pivotal team interactions and objectively compare their intended impact with the actual impact on others. The gaps are often revelatory and become focus areas for adjustment. As self-awareness grows, I've seen leaders transform in powerful ways: • They mend strained relationships and build deep trust and loyalty • They start showing up in a way that inspires and engages their teams • They make better decisions by accounting for their natural tendencies and biases Helping a leader close their self-awareness gap is some of my most gratifying and high-impact work. The ripple effects on their team, organization and career are immense. If you're in a leadership role, don't let a lack of self-awareness hold you back. Proactively seek to understand your strengths, blind spots and impact. It takes humility and courage, but the payoff is well worth it - for you and everyone you lead. Join the 12,000+ leaders who get our weekly email newsletter.  https://lnkd.in/en9vxeNk

𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 - 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐 To reach your desired destiny, you need to be self-aware. As you swim in turbulent currents of shifting markets, demanding customers, limited budgets, and challenging stakeholders, the one constant is you. This is the second part of a two-part series (find part 1 in the comments). “𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚.” – Carl Hume Let's explore some ways to become more self-aware. 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. By creating some separation, you may be more candid. Some people like to jot notes right after waking up, further removing mental filters. To understand and resolve issues, stick to the facts and focus on the impact of your actions, without making judgments.   Journaling every day can be tough, so consider a weekly reflection. 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Keep a journal of accomplishments, too. It's a great resource during tough days and trains the mental muscle of recognizing others’ strengths. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. Record your essential plans and specific milestones, evaluate your priorities, and track your progress. The goal here is improvement. As you predict outcomes, create a baseline, and then compare results, you learn what best impacts future outcomes. You may hold yourself accountable or find someone who will regularly push you and check with them. 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. Seek to learn more about yourself through others. Ask open-ended questions e.g. “What’s one way I could improve next time?” Be clear that you want to improve. Share examples of how you and others have benefited from feedback. Vulnerability can be stressful, but ultimately, it shows strength. I worked at a SaaS company for 3 years. The most nervous I ever felt was the moment before clicking "send" on my first anonymous survey about myself. However, I received really helpful feedback about what more I could be doing in the role for others and the company. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴: • Empathy. Everyone faces challenges. Strive to understand how others built their careers, handle their lives now, and why they make certain decisions. • Perspective. Gain a new perspective by exploring new places, trying different activities, and learning new skills. • Mindfulness. Many people rely on mindfulness to help them prioritize, focus, and fully engage with others in the moment. • Reflection. To prevent recurring issues, set aside time for reflection, focus objectively on the causes and effects, and seek feedback. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, compare your current situation to past experiences to remember how you persevered during those times. Self-awareness facilitates personal development, prevents stress, and enables you to deepen relationships, clarify options, and maintain resilience. #leaders #founder #adapt #startups

The power of self-reflection is a transformative force that allows us to delve deep into our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, fostering personal growth and development. Furthermore, self-reflection fosters empathy and understanding towards other’s perspectives and experiences.   Some tips that have helped me on this journey:   Set Aside Time: Carving out dedicated time for self-reflection – Whether it's a few minutes each day or a longer period once a week, I try and commit to this practice regularly.   Create a Quiet Space: For me it’s in my backyard, but this could be a peaceful corner of your home, a park, or anywhere else that allows you to focus without interruption.   Ask Yourself Questions: I believe in using open-ended questions to guide my reflection process. Questions such as "What are my strengths and opportunity areas?" "What did I learn from recent experiences?" "What are my long-term goals?" These questions can help stimulate deeper introspection; I also make sure I revisit them on a regular basis.   Writing down thoughts and feelings: This can be a powerful tool for self-reflection which I personally found most difficult to follow, but I keep trying to get better at it, most recently I have started writing for 15 – 30 mins daily using journal on my phone/iPad. Initially I feel my writings didn’t make much sense, but I am getting better at it 😊   Practice Mindfulness: Deep breathing with my eyes closed help me focus on the present moment and observe my thoughts and emotions without judgment. Mindfulness can help develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and our experiences.   Seek Feedback: I strongly believe “Feedback is a Gift”, that being said I filter some of it to keep focus on what aligns to my purpose and goal (not forgetting the other feedback but just stacking them in order of what aligns more with my person purpose and goal). Being open to constructive criticism and using it as an opportunity for growth has helped me immensely and continues to do so.   Set Clear Goals: Using self-reflection to set meaningful goals for myself, considering what I want to achieve in various aspects of life and outline actionable steps to work towards those goals. This helps me break my larger goals into actionable items.     Celebrate Progress: Most of us enjoy being recognized and rewarded. Coming up with self-incentive plans and pausing to celebrate achievements keeps me moving ahead. My family constantly help me come up with creative ways to celebrate success and enjoy every small achievement with me, also keeping me honest on what I can do better to continue growing and evolving.   Remember, self-reflection is a journey, and it takes time and dedication to develop self-awareness and insight. Be patient with yourself and approach the process with kindness and compassion.