
I work with leaders from many walks of life and at various levels of experience. One thing I’ve seen they frequently have in common is that developing self-awareness about how we work and communicate is easier said than done.
Why is self-awareness so important in leadership?
Self-awareness helps us understand our emotional triggers and responses in various situations. This understanding affects our behaviour and decision-making, altering team morale, productivity, and leadership effectiveness. By understanding our emotions, we may develop techniques to control them and lead with intention, encouraging trust and open communication.
In a nutshell: Cultivating self-awareness enables us to understand our emotional responses and how these affect our interactions and leadership effectiveness.
A comprehensive Harvard Business Review study examined self-awareness and leadership performance. Leaders with strong self-awareness were more successful and productive, the study found. These leaders understood their strengths and shortcomings, were more adaptive, and interacted better. Executives who understand their emotions, abilities, and limitations are better able to lead teams and organisations to success, according to the study.
There are several ways for gaining insight into oneself, including self-coaching, setting aside time to focus on our actions and behaviours, seeking feedback, strength exercises, and so on. And I find that certain leaders become adept at constantly observing and learning about themselves.
One of the most effective ways to understand why we do what we do is to use an assessment tool like DISC. It’s a simple yet powerful diagnostic exploring our natural preference of approaching work, communication, decision making and interacting with others.
I remember my first DISC Report from the 1990s, followed by a more current one in 2013. I was astounded by the insights I got about myself, particularly my inherent preferences for navigating work and relationships. I became much clearer about my skills as an eager team member, as well as my difficulty in avoiding conflict, which has held me back many times in my work.
An assessment tool like DISC is one of the best tools to understand our behaviour. This basic yet fundamental diagnosis examines our natural work, communication, decision-making, and interpersonal behaviours. DISC Flow incorporates Emotional Intelligence, the capacity to choose our response rather than respond instinctively, therefore we’ve used it in our seminars, coaching, and leadership development courses for three years.
And not only did I create self-awareness, I also walked away from the workshop armed with strategies on how to recognise my triggers and adjust my behaviour and choose a response most conducive to the situation in front of me.
Using DISC Assessments in leadership workshops helps team members gain insights quickly and have a narrative that not only explains why they do what they do but also enables them to share it with others.
“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” – Lao Tzu
There are several ways for gaining insight into oneself, including self-coaching, setting aside time to focus on our actions and behaviours, seeking feedback, strength exercises, and so on. And I find that certain leaders become adept at constantly observing and learning about themselves.
One of the most effective ways to understand why we do what we do is to use an assessment tool like DISC. It’s a simple yet powerful diagnostic exploring our natural preference of approaching work, communication, decision making and interacting with others.
I remember my first DISC Report from the 1990s, followed by a more current one in 2013. I was astounded by the insights I got about myself, particularly my inherent preferences for navigating work and relationships. I became much clearer about my skills as an eager team member, as well as my difficulty in avoiding conflict, which has held me back many times in my work.
An assessment tool like DISC is one of the best tools to understand our behaviour. This basic yet fundamental diagnosis examines our natural work, communication, decision-making, and interpersonal behaviours. DISC Flow incorporates Emotional Intelligence, the capacity to choose our response rather than respond instinctively, therefore we’ve used it in our seminars, coaching, and leadership development courses for three years.
And not only did I create self-awareness, I also walked away from the workshop armed with strategies on how to recognise my triggers and adjust my behaviour and choose a response most conducive to the situation in front of me.
Using DISC Assessments in leadership workshops helps team members gain insights quickly and have a narrative that not only explains why they do what they do but also enables them to share it with others.
If you want to know how we embed DISC into our leadership and coaching programs, give me a shout: jessica@intactteams.com