Leaders’ Role in Building Self-aware Organizations
Leaders are a resource for teams, not the other way around. Leaders are the ones who need to be equipped to grow, support and develop their teams. With self-awareness, you’ll see better how you, personally and uniquely, can best serve your teams. You’ll be able to identify which team members are set to excel in their roles, and which ones could use development. And, you’ll be able to notice your own personal growth opportunities, for becoming even more self-sufficient and helpful as a leader.
- Self-awareness can truly predict leaders’ performance in managing teams and driving success in any business initiative. When you understand how you behave at your best and at your worst, you can effectively channel your most useful traits into building dynamic, winning teams, and creating an organizational culture of achievement and team spirit.
- Self-awareness also influences the organizational culture that leaders create. When you’re fully in touch with your values and can spell out what they are, you can build cohesive, value-based teams and give members the confidence to ‘be themselves’ in the context of their teamwork.
Leaders can do a lot to enhance self-awareness within their teams, as:
1. Being present increases productivity
Promoting self-awareness removes distractions — it helps people stay focused. Checking-in people’s mindset before a meeting creates both individual and collective awareness. Letting everyone share “What has got your attention?” is a useful practice to focus on being present.
2. Move from blind spots to bright spots
Our blind spots lie at the intersection of how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. Self-awareness is not just a personal journey —it requires feedback from others to see what you are missing. The Johari Window is an effective tool that I facilitate with teams to help them uncover their “unknown unknowns.” Check out this exercise to get you started.
3. Nurture a culture of clarity and transparency
Clarity doesn’t just help current members collaborate; self-aware teams make the immersion of newcomers much easier. Open dialogue and candid feedback require a safe space. Psychological Safety is necessary for people to speak up without the fear of being ignored, criticized, or punished.
4. Turn awareness into a team practice
Encourage your team to engage in self-awareness rituals every day. Promote ongoing feedback, not just annual 360 reviews. Feedback is a gift for your organization — it’s necessary fuel for continuous improvement. Assigning Accountability Partners is a simple practice we facilitate to turn everyone into a mirror; they can reflect what others are missing. Learn more about how you can implement this method — turn every team member into a coach.
5. Self-aware people don’t fight reality — they adapt and thrive
Accepting reality is not passive — it doesn’t mean giving up either. Teams have to have an objective and unfiltered assessment of reality (Acknowledge), so they can understand why things are happening (Learn), and adjust their mindsets, strategies, and behaviors (Adapt). Read more about how to develop a Learning Mind — help your team embrace the unknown, instead of resisting it.
6. Go deep, but mind the gap
Self-awareness is about reconnecting with the multiple layers of one’s identity. Coaching self-awareness is a sensitive task — it requires applying mindfulness, introspection, neuroscience methods among others. However, too much introspection can kill people, as I explained here. It’s essential that everyone leaves the room in a great mood. That’s why we incorporate games, improv, and other tricks and team activities to balance the spirit.
Self-awareness is something serious, but it should not be treated too seriously. You want people to benefit from knowing themselves better, not to run away from it.
7. Encourage self-development, not just awareness
Whatever plans you have to increase your team’s self-awareness, follow-up is critical. Artists and athletes practice most of the time, and then play; in business is the other way around. Developing self-awareness requires preparation — set aside ‘practice time.’ Most importantly, you don’t need to have a consultant like me continually involved. Equip your team with tools and methods that they can implement (and adapt) on their own.1
Making ‘self-awareness’ a company priority is not just preaching, it needs you to develop the right conditions. This needs to prepare your team by showing them the benefits of self-awareness. Involve your people from the start — self-awareness can’t be imposed, they need to own it. Provide a safe space, proper tools, and coaching.
1“The power of Self Awareness”, Gustavoo Razzetti
For more about this topic, download our latest book "Towards a Self-aware Organization" for FREE:
