How many New Year’s resolutions did you make ? … And how many did you already forget about at the end of this first month ?
Don’t worry, make a new one.
One that really matters : work on your self-awareness !

What is self-awareness ?

A simple definition: “knowledge and awareness of your own personality or character”.
Self-awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, values, beliefs, motivation, and emotions.
Self-awareness allows you to understand yourself and other people: the impact of your personality style on them, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them.
The famous psychologist Carl Gustav Jung created the term “Individuation Process” to describe the process of becoming aware of oneself, of one’s make-up, and the way to discover one’s true, inner self.

Why develop self-awareness ?

HR and Learning & Development leaders frequently meet teams full of smart, capable people, yet they just can’t get along. The responsible managers expect from Learning & Development leaders and trainers to “fix” these teams and help them learn how to function more effectively through training.
Of course, multiple elements play into effective individual and team performance, but self-awareness is often overlooked and greatly underestimated. If there’s no self-awareness, what could one possibly develop to start with ?
Our perceptions colour the world around us: our insight into ourselves and the others around us determines how we approach our own development and our interactions with others. The more accurate that insight, the more control we have over personal and professional growth, and the more successful our (work) relationships will be.
It is essential for people to see self-awareness & self-development not as something that “their organization requires”, but as something that will determine their ability to be successful.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
Carl G. Jung

How develop self-awareness ?

But what is the best way of increasing insight?
Learning leaders can advise and give guidance on various personality questionnaires, self-assessment tools developed to give a clear picture of personal preferences, style and image.
The insight that these tools provide gives participants a new perspective on themselves and their environment. This is the starting point for further development, both personally and professionally. This is also the starting point for success.

So come on, don’t hesitate any longer, choose higher self-awareness for yourself and your team members as the 2016 resolution !

Wishing you lots of success !

“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.”  Daniel Goleman

Please share your thoughts in the comments section as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

If your colleagues and network might be interested in this article, please do share.
They will be grateful and so will I.