Did you know increased self-awareness has been linked directly to increases in a company’s bottom line? Companies that employ people with high levels of self-awareness are much more likely to benefit from stronger communication and collaboration, improved decision making, greater employee engagement and a much greater likelihood of having the right people in the right roles. And while self-awareness is often acknowledged to be the most critical characteristic of leaders, it is undoubtedly hugely beneficial at all levels of an organisation – boosting performance in all areas.
Self-awareness can be developed – most high performing leaders will continue to invest time and energy into driving self-awareness across their career. Investing in one’s own self-awareness can be daunting and confronting but when approached with a positive and open mindset will almost always result in personal growth and development, increased EQ and greater sense of personal satisfaction and fulfilment.
So, how do you increase self-awareness? There are numerous tools available to help support the development of self-awareness. We use a number of these tools in our business for this very purpose as part of our leadership development programs and feel honoured to play a role when our program participants experience significant ‘a-ha’ moments, fuelling their own personal development journeys.
Our personality profiling and behavioural assessment tools identify an individual’s innate personality or behavioural style – shining a light on natural behavioural style, strengths and development objectives as they pertain to a particular role or career goal. With this knowledge we can work with participants to develop a focused individual development plan that drives increased self-awareness and behavioural change where required.
A 360 assessment offers the additional perspective of those close to the individual, providing clarity around the individual’s strengths and perception gaps that might exist between their view of self and the way that they are perceived by others. 360 feedback can be challenging to execute and must be done with great empathy and with the right intentions but can be incredibly powerful when conducted for the right reasons by those who understand the risks and the benefits.
Self-awareness is a journey; as we grow, learn and embrace different experiences whilst navigating through life, most of us can and will change and grow. Having a high level of self-awareness helps us identify how we are changing, the impact of those changes and how we can benefit from modifying or changing our behavioural style to achieve our objectives – whether they be personal or professional.
Developing talent is one of the most powerful investments an organisation can make – in driving engagement, performance, EQ and leadership capability – and development starts with ensuring each individual has the self-awareness to drive their own development objectives and contribute effectively in a group setting as required. We welcome the opportunity to share case studies from our experiences and the powerful outcomes achieved by such programs.