Did you know that 95% of people claim to be self-aware, but only 10-15% actually fit the criteria, and that CEOs and top-tier leaders are less likely to be in that top percent?
This is partly because leaders often find it harder to gather consistent and candid external feedback, which is key to developing genuine self-awareness. Also, it takes some reliable internal skills to process and act on the received feedback—constructively.
Studies show that various definitions of self-awareness can be categorized as:
1) Internal Self-Awareness: how clearly we are able to “begin within”: see our own values, passions, aspirations, reactions, including thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses, and their impact on others.
2) External self-awareness: how clearly we understand how other people view us, in terms of those same factors listed above.
Not convinced it’s worthwhile exploring this topic in depth? Research shows that effective leadership of your life and business requires a balance of both types of self-awareness, and that there is a direct correlation between self-awareness and better business performance. Greater levels of self-awareness are also connected to higher personal fulfillment, creativity, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Leaders at all levels (and this includes all of us; everyone is a leader in their role) can improve self-awareness with a few accessible techniques. It can be inspiring to see it as a visual. Visit the How It Works page on our website and scroll down to see the Medallion: our blueprint of self-awareness.