Let’s face it, it’s always fun to go out with your fellow team members for cocktails and complain about management. It’s so straightforward to just pinpoint things that you think needs to be changed right, but it isn’t much fun when you transit into the position you have been complaining about. Being a leader is much more than it seems, and only when you wear the shoe would you know where and how it itches; transiting from a team member to a leader is not always easy, and the adjustment that comes with this is hard to take because you are leaving your friends behind and kind of moving up the chain so if you not careful, the things you have said before will end up biting you in the butt.
The thing is when you move up the chain, you being to see a clearer picture and understand the policies of the company as regards leadership, so suddenly you realize that you saw this wrongly when you were still a team member, but how do you make the other team members understand this without them thinking you have moved up the chain and joined the rest, the answer to that is to become self-aware.
Self-awareness in leadership is crucial and must not be neglected if you want to have a high-performing team. Self-awareness is one of the essential elements of emotional intelligence; Self-awareness is one of the critical elements of emotional intelligence (EI), a term coined by psychologist Michael Beldoch and widely popularized by Daniel Goleman, which refers to a leader’s ability to identify and manage not just their emotions but that of other people. This has proven to be very valuable in leadership.
As a leader, becoming self-aware will strengthen your performance and your team’s performance, thereby increasing organizational performance. The amount of wisdom and understanding that a self-aware leader posse equips them with the critical skills required to succeed as leaders.
In conclusion, how do you become more self-aware as a leader? First, you need to learn to remedy the power of paradox: the more you move up the chain, the less authentic connection you will have with people. To fix this, you need to be able to communicate appropriately with your team members and also have the ability to just listen to them. Feedback is essential, and the only way you can get them to talk to you is if you listen. Secondly, you need to understand the assessment; this means that you know your strengths and weaknesses, and you can use them both effectively.
Finally, as a leader, you must have an open mind. Learn to be available to alternative points and suggestions from your team because when you welcome their ideas, it makes them more confident and comfortable with you, not to mention that you foster your growth and development when you do that.
