Self-awareness has become one of the most talked about topics in the corporate world at present. Studies have made us understand that improved self-awareness leads to better decision-making, forging stronger relationships and more effective corporate communication. This in turn leads to better leaders and happier employees, reflecting in a higher bottom-line for companies. There exist two kinds of self-awareness. One is internal self-awareness where one is better able to monitor own inner world. Here the concerned person has clarity over his/her reaction, passions, ambitions and values. The other is external self-awareness which includes one’s understanding of others’ perceptions about himself/herself. There is no direct co-relation between possession of the two types of self-awareness. Introspectors are those with high internal but low external self-awareness. Some are Aware of both forms of self-awareness. Others are Seekers, who are low on both. And the Pleasers have low internal self-awareness but high on the external understanding. Contrary to usual understanding, increased experience and power actually reduce the ability to gauge self-awareness. This is because most people on reaching a certain position, stop taking in feedback on themselves. The best of leaders were those who gauged adequate business intelligence on how people perceive them. Funnily enough, introspection does not necessarily lead to enhanced levels of self-awareness. This is because while introspecting, most do not do it the right way as the human mind isn’t generally rational.

Source:https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=twitter

Uploaded Date:21 February 2020