The leaders I’ve worked with over the last twenty years have something in common: they are in search of the one thing they can do differently to be better leaders for their teams and organizations. I’ve found the answer. It’s simple to state but complex to implement.
The number one competency that leaders must have to succeed is demonstrating self-awareness. The very best leaders have learned through their accomplishments and painful failures that leadership is a journey of continuous learning and growth, a practice that requires intention, reflection, and focused energy. The practice of great leadership demands that you figure out if your good intentions and vision for success align with your behaviors and actions. To do this, you need to be self-aware, and to be self-aware, you need data.
Team or company performance, employee statistics about turnover and engagement, customer surveys, and bottom-line financial numbers are all data sources that can speak to your performance as a leader. While valuable, these sources are limited when it comes to seeking an in-depth understanding of the impact your leadership style has on those results.
If you know me and my work, you know I love a valid, reliable, informative assessment tool. The good ones, like my favorite DiSC and others like CliftonStrengths and Working Genius, provide a story about what makes you unique. This work allows you to take an outside, objective look into what drives you, your communication needs, how others might perceive you, opportunities to adapt to meet the needs of others, and even insight into situations that bring you joy and energy and situations that frustrated and drain you. This valuable data helps to identify and even predict situations that benefit from adapting your natural style and tendencies for better results.
Another powerful way to foster self-awareness is to get feedback from others, like your team members, colleagues, managers, and other stakeholders. Understanding the influence and effect you have on them, understanding what they on count you for, and identifying areas where you might be missing the mark deepens your insight and allows you to concentrate on areas of personal development that matter and are worthy of your time and energy.
There are many ways to gather feedback from those around you. The easiest way is to ask. Building questions like ‘How am I doing?”, “What do you value most in the way that I lead?”, or “What could I do more or less to be a better leader for you?” are just a few examples. You could take a more formal approach by surveying people as part of your mid-year and final performance review to gather input on your specific performance and development goals.
For more in-depth data, you can seek feedback using a 360 or multi-rate tool offered by an objective 3rd party that can gather and analyze data to help your growth. My favorite for ease of use and quality reporting is Pixel Perspectives+ 360 Assessment. See my thoughts about its value here.
Demonstrating self-awareness and the ability to see yourself from another person’s point of view is a priceless and game-changing competency. Doing it well fosters growth and commitment in others, builds trust, enhances your decision-making, and drives greater performance overall.
Data is critical to building self-awareness. Gathering data through feedback should be a staple in every leader’s toolkit and practiced continuously. All feedback, positive or negative, is a crucial ingredient in pursuing success. Leaders should proactively seek input from various sources to gain personal insight into areas requiring focus and improvement.
Suzanne offers the solutions you need to be or build great leaders, such as tips for getting casual feedback from others, credible self-assessments, advice for evolving performance management processes, and multi-rater feedback tools and options.
