were low also scored poorly on every single performance dimension .
• Leadership searches give short shrift to ‘ self-awareness ’, which should actually be a top criterion – executives who are aware of their weaknesses are often better able to hire subordinates who perform well in categories in which the leader lacks acumen .
• Experience at many different companies is not a positive sign – executives who change jobs frequently are often trying to outrun a problem , and that problem often has to do with how they ‘ fit ’ in the workplace .
When we improve our awareness , we give ourselves greater choices in life . Our choices can either be paralysing or mobilising , depending on our mindset and ability to read situations . It ’ s always amazing to me how two people can read the same situations completely differently , and it does go a long way to explaining why we get conflict and problems in the workplace .
We have a choice to respond to any situation that leads to , or away from , success . Feelings of fear and anxiety around scarcity can lead to inaction and seeking others to blame for things not heading in the right direction . This is when we tend to see the worst in leaders as they clutch at straws to reverse trends that are only made worse
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• Self-awareness opens up the number of choices available to you in any given situation
• Many people in leadership and management roles fail to achieve long-term success because they lack the self-awareness and interpersonal skills needed to get the best out of their teams and themselves
• Consistently thinking , speaking and acting in a calm , confident manner will make those around you want to do the right thing and work towards your common goal
• Suggested processes for becoming more aware include remembering you always have a choice , getting a coach , writing your goals down and meditating or self-examining .
Supposed ‘ soft ’ values are where most people in leadership and management roles fall down , because they ’ re focusing on the wrong things .
by their behaviour . Lose the people ’ s faith and it ’ s difficult to get it back . Conversely , thinking , speaking and acting in a calm , confident manner allows employees to recognise that there is a plan of action in place and that the thinking that dominates is from a place where there is no shortage of opportunities to create change – abundance . Gain this and those around you will want to do the right thing and work towards your common goal .
When leaders forget their ‘ human capital ’, they forget the ‘ soft ’ values like the motivations of their employees , their happiness and feelings towards belonging . They do so at the expense of ‘ hard ’ results – i . e . the bottom line . But so often we find that it ’ s the executive who can communicate well with investors , look after their staff and manage with empathy and fairness that gets the best results . It ’ s time to abandon conventional wisdom and get back to managing people more effectively . Managing from a point of calmness , confidence , abundance and action .
The question is then , how do you become more aware ? The challenge is that we store memories according to our experiences , so recalling them in an objective way can be difficult . It ’ s suggested you :
• remember you always have a choice – most of our behaviour is purely reactionary based on past similar events . To break a cycle of habit , you need to keep in mind that there is always another way .
• get a coach – this will give objective ‘ feed-forward ’ and strategy around goals . It ’ s not about ‘ advice ’ – you already have all the answers and know your role best .
• write your goals down – on average , you ’ re ten times more likely to achieve something if you write it down . Sounds simple , but no one ever does it . Trying to recall events and emotions because ‘ it ’ s all stored up here ’ is useless , as thoughts and memories change over time .
• meditate or self-examine – it ’ s definitely the fastest way to get to grips with your thinking . If it sounds too ‘ airy fairy ’ for you , then at least take small breaks in your day to take stock of how you ’ re feeling and how it ’ s affecting what you do and say .
This is not about being a person who is walked all over or ‘ wet ’ in the boardroom . This is about having a level of emotional intelligence to recognise how you see yourself and , more importantly , how others see you . To get the ‘ hard ’ results , allow yourself to get a little ‘ soft ’. Your leadership could depend on it .
Greg Sellar is a performance coach and serial ‘ life hacker ’, challenging people to change the way they think and act . With a degree in Sports Science and a Diploma in Coaching , Mentoring and Leadership , he has worked with some of the biggest names in global fitness . teamlifehack . com
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