Develop your self-awareness

Self-awareness is at the core of professional development. Knowing who you are and what you enjoy doing, and being able to recognise your skills, strengths and weaknesses, as well as your effect on other people, provides a baseline from which to boost your career potential. The more you know, the more effect-ively you can adapt what you do.

"Self-awareness is at the centre of all learning and development and an important skill needed to manage our own behaviour alongside colleagues in the pursuit of an organisation's goals," says Nathan Hobbs, principal consultant at business psychology consultancy OPP. "It is at the heart of effective leadership. Increasing self-awareness enables any member of staff to reflect more knowingly on their work performance and identify means of self-improvement."

Where do I start?

Take a moment to reflect on your talents, interests, and what you can do before carrying out a thorough skills audit. There are several useful self-assessment tools that can assist with this process. Hobbs suggests psychometric questionnaires such as the Myers Briggs personality type indicator (MBTI) and 16PF as "non-threatening" places to begin.

MBTI enables participants to understand their preferred orientation to the world and core mental functions, and helpfully provides a useful template by which to understand others. 16PF looks in more detail at likely behaviours based on personal preference.

"Whichever personality measure is chosen, much of the participant experience is in the hands of the skilled practitioner who feeds back results," Hobbs says. "The process provides an excellent platform for self-reflection and a discussion of what drives behaviour."

Get feedback

Few of us are able to objectively look into a mirror and see ourselves as others do. That means you need to get independent feedback to gain greater insight into your behaviours and performance.

A carefully focused multi-sourced feedback or full-blown 360-degree appraisal can provide an accurate picture of your managerial style.

Alternatively, if your organisation doesn't operate such a formalised structure, identify people whose opinion you trust, and ask them to give you honest impressions on your performance in one-on-one sessions.

Assess your emotional intelligence

Research indicates that individuals who exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence will have greater self-knowledge. To understand why you react to things in a certain way, you need to complete a review of your approach to specific situations. The types of questions you should be seeking answers to include:

- What difficulties did you encounter and how did you deal with them?

- Did you show empathy and respect for those involved?

- How adaptable were you?

- Were you able to control your mood?

- Find a suitable mentor

A cannily chosen mentor can help you attain higher levels of self-awareness by helping you to understand your own emotions - particularly in the context of dealing with others. As an onlooker, it will be easier for them to pinpoint certain traits that impact on how you behave.

Keep a journal

Expressing your thoughts and experiences in a journal can help with personal reflection and understanding.

Formalising accomplishments and failures like this is a positive way to analyse what you do, and learn more about yourself.

Finally, don't be afraid. "Fear is arguably the most significant stumbling block in developing self-awareness: fear of the unknown, fear of failure, of discomfort, of appearing ridiculous or incompetent," says Hobbs. "Confronting our fears and the role that fear plays in our resistance to change is key to developing potential."

Where can I get more info?

Books

The Leader Within: Learning enough about yourself to lead others, Carl Edeburn et al, Financial Times, Prentice Hall, 17.99, ISBN 013470256

Related articles

How to sharpen your emotional intelligence
www.personneltoday.com/23148.article

How to develop your influencing skills
www.personneltoday.com/27609.article

How to develop your social skills
www.personneltoday.com/26713.article

Website

OPP
www.opp.eu.com

If you only do five things...

1 Carry out a personality test

2 Get feedback from as many stakeholders as possible

3 Find an appropriate mentor

4 Work on your emotional intelligence

5 Record your views and experiences in a journal


Expert's view: Nathan Hobbs on developing self-awareness

Nathan Hobbs is principal consultant at business psychology consultancy OPP

What techniques can be used to develop self-awareness?

Techniques can be broadly categorised into two types: personal and experiential.

Personal techniques are based on what you think and believe about yourself and the environment you work in. Experiential techniques are based on receiving information from others, and how they respond and relate to you.

Where does emotional intelligence fit in?

Since the term was first coined in 1990, the concept of emotional intelligence has been much popularised. Daniel Goleman's five-point framework places self-awareness at the heart of emotional intelligence, alongside 'self-regulation' - the ability to knowingly manage one's behaviour in relation to the situation.

Higgs and Dulewicz, experts in leadership and emotional intelligence from Henley Management College, conducted research into the career progress of 100 managers over a seven-year period, showing that those with greater emotional intelligence were promoted to higher positions in organisations. Chairs and CEOs had more emotional intelligence than directors, and in turn, operational managers. The inference is that self-awareness is a core leadership ability.

Are there any new theories on self-awareness?

The concept of self-awareness has been around for millennia, from spiritual and mystic paradigms of old, to the cognitive and behavioural models of the late 20th century.

The concept of 'authenticity in leadership' has also come to prominence in recent years. One thing that's increasingly prevalent in our work at OPP is the recognition that self-awareness rather than competency-based frameworks are at the heart of managerial and professional development. While professional practice can often be as much as 10 years behind the latest theories, when it comes to self-awareness, it feels like a return to more ancient wisdoms.