There is a fundamental truth that limits our self-growth; we can only change those things of which we are aware.
- If you don’t realize that no one on your team understands your vision, you won’t make it more clear to them.
- If you don’t realize how yelling at your team demoralizes them, you won’t learn how to deliver a firm, but calm message.
- If you don’t realize how consistently missing your own deadlines undermines your team’s motivation to meet deadlines, you won’t learn how to better delegate and stop procrastinating.
- If you don’t realize how your own lack of self-confidence undermines your team’s confidence in you, you will continue to over-compensate for the confidence gap with ego-driven leadership tactics.
- If you don’t understand how your fears hold you back, you won’t release yourself from those fears to reach new heights of success.
- If you don’t understand your own knee-jerk reactions (automated behaviors), you will continue to feel remorse when you respond in a less than ideal way.
- If you don’t know yourself deeply, you will never know your true capabilities.
We all have blind spots to our own strengths and weaknesses. No one is exempt from the limitations of self-perception. In order to realize our full potential, we need to remain open to feedback from others. We should seek this feedback from trusted others, such as mentors, colleagues, friends, family and even our team who report to us. These trusted others allow us to increase our self-awareness by better understanding how our thoughts, communications and actions impact those around us. An Executive Coach can also help you significantly increase your self-awareness and create a pathway to reaching your highest potential. Most importantly, we must understand that awareness empowers us to be present, purpose-driven and powerful.