Leadership Self-Awareness

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The one thing about leadership is that no one person has it all figured out.

No one person is ever finished learning about their leadership style and how it affects others.

You have to recognize you have flaws in order to improve on your leadership skills, no matter who you are.

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The first thing to do is engage in self-awareness.  Do you know what you need to improve on as a leader? This is usually the single most difficult step in developing leadership skills. One way to understand this is to sit down with those around you and engage in real conversation.  Ask them what they think are your strengths and weaknesses.  Use a journal to write these traits down.  This will be your list of items to work on!  Be open to all kinds of feedback.  Solicit constructive criticism from those around you. If you show you are willing to improve on your ability as a leader, others will begin to trust you and you will gain credibility.  This also show others in your organization it’s okay to admit your faults and improve on your skills.

One thing we all must keep in mind is that we can all be leaders. You don’t necessarily have to assume a management position to be a leader in your center.  Outside of work, you can be a leader in your community, at your church or with your child’s school.  Leadership roles are all around and it takes great leaders to make positive change.  Don’t take the old “ostrich approach” and stick your head in the sand.  Denial gets you nowhere!  There is always room for improvement.  Those individuals who realize they don’t have it all figured out are destined to become exceptional leaders.

Related Articles

• Leaders of the Pack Display High “Emotional Intelligence” (sciencedaily.com)
• Effective leadership depends on emotional intelligence (theglobeandmail.com)

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