By Jevon Wooden
Reflective Practice for Self-Awareness As A Leader
Leaders must cultivate a relentless commitment to introspection to hone self-recognition. Reflective practice is not an occasional retreat but a daily discipline that sharpens a leader’s emotional understanding. It encompasses a deliberate pause to dissect one’s reactions, examine the alignment of personal values with actions, and assess the impact of one’s behavior on others.
One of my favorite moments of introspection is during a long walk without technology. Some of the questions you can ask yourself as a leader are:
How do I foster growth and development in those I lead?
How effectively am I communicating my vision and expectations?
How open am I to feedback, and how do I act on it?
Am I truly listening to what others have to say?
What does success look like for me and my team?
In what situations do I feel most confident, and when do I feel uncertain?
How do I handle stress, and could I manage it more healthily?
What are my core values, and how do they influence my leadership?
How do my emotions affect my decision-making and the people around me?
What are my strengths, and how can I leverage them more effectively?
What weaknesses do I have, and how can they impact my team?
What legacy do I want to leave as a leader?
How balanced is my work and personal life, and how does this balance affect my leadership?
Setting Time Aside
Allocating time for self-reflection is a strategic investment. Leaders must schedule uninterrupted periods for contemplation—away from the clamor of daily obligations—to ponder their emotional responses to recent interactions or decisions. This stillness allows for clearer thinking and an unbiased evaluation of one’s emotional landscape.
Soliciting and Embracing Feedback
Feedback is a mirror that reflects a leader’s emotional disposition from multiple angles. Seeking and genuinely embracing feedback from peers, mentors, and subordinates can uncover blind spots in a leader’s self-awareness. This process can reveal patterns in behavior that a leader might not see on their own, offering invaluable insights for personal development.
Here are four of the quickest ways to get feedback:
- Directly ask for feedback – Be specific in your request to receive more valuable feedback.
- One-on-one meetings – These can create an environment that promotes candid responses and shows that you respect and value the feedback given.
- Digital tools or apps – These platforms allow for anonymity and offer repeatability if you’re looking for trends in the feedback.
- After action reviews – We used these often in the Army immediately after a project or action was taken. Frame the session with clear guidelines to ensure focused and constructive feedback.
Journaling as a Tool
Journaling is a tangible method for tracking emotional trends and triggers. By keeping a daily log of emotions and the events that precipitate them, a leader can identify which circumstances provoke positive or negative responses. Journaling serves as a map that can guide a leader through their emotional terrain, highlighting areas that require closer attention or adjustment. Of note, journaling does not have to be a writing exercise. I have found it beneficial to use voice notes as my journaling practice. Find the journaling method that works for you.
The Waterfall Effect of Self-Recognition
From Self to Others: The Social Recognition Connection
The journey of understanding oneself inevitably leads to a deeper comprehension of others. Leaders who are adept in self-recognition can more readily pick up on the emotional cues of their team members, enabling a keener social recognition. When leaders understand their own emotional makeup, they can empathize more effectively with others, appreciating their motivations and concerns.
Self-Management: Steering the Ship
Leaders with a keen sense of self-awareness captain their emotions with the expertise of a skilled boat captain charting a course through stormy seas. Such leaders are apt to temper their emotional responses, ensuring a more constant and calm atmosphere for their teams. The essence of self-management lies in the power of choice—selectively responding to challenges with deliberation rather than succumbing to the whims of impulsive reactions.
Social Management: The Art of Influence
Armed with self-awareness and an understanding of others’ emotions, leaders can exercise social management—shaping the emotional climate of the organization. It is about being able to inspire and motivate effectively, resolve conflicts with compassion, and foster a culture of emotional intelligence throughout the organization.
Self-Recognition as the Leadership Keystone
Developing self-recognition is vital for modern leaders. It is the most crucial piece in the puzzle of emotional intelligence because it supports and enables all the other pieces to fit together harmoniously. A leader’s journey to emotional intelligence begins with a look inward, an examination that is both reflective and revelatory. It is a journey that requires vulnerability, courage, and commitment, but one that yields the power to transform not only the leader but the entire team. By mastering self-recognition, leaders can elevate not just their performance but also forge teams that are resilient, empathetic, and exceptionally capable.
Jevon Wooden, CEO of BrightMind Consulting Group, is a leadership coach, consultant, keynote speaker, author, podcast host, and Army Veteran passionate about leadership, growth strategy, and helping motivated leaders and businesses expand their reach and magnify their impact.
