The Need to Be Self-Aware Before You Can Lead a Company
Self-awareness is one of the most important qualities every leader needs to have to run a company well. You cant do a great job if you are not aware of yourself as it affects how you treat others. You might also think that you are always right, and others are wrong. Therefore, you end up not listening, and you dont care what people say. This is a true recipe for a disaster. Before you think about all the other tasks you need to do as a leader, you need to start by improving self-awareness.
Acknowledge your shortcomings
If you are someone who has self-awareness, you know that you dont know everything. You acknowledge your mistakes and things you are yet to improve. You also understand that asking for help when you are unsure is not a weakness. You are not arrogant because you embrace comments and learn from them.
You need to communicate well
When you send communications, you dont use it to command people to do things. You do it because you are also sensitive to what they feel. After sending emails, try your best to speak with some of your employees to know how they feel about it. Dont treat them as slaves whom you can command what to do through emails and direct orders. Even when you ask them to do things, you need to give them a reason why.
You know that people look up to you
If you are self-aware, you know that you are a fish in an aquarium. People see everything that you do. They can also read through your intentions. The best way to deal with this is be honest. If you dont know what to do, ask for help. If you are under too much pressure because of other bosses, let your employees know that you need to cooperate to speed things up. It is in your vulnerability that people will become endeared to you, and not because of your toughness, especially if they know that you are just putting on a face.
You know when the work environment is becoming toxic because of you
In most instances, people feel stressed with work because of their leaders. They feel pressured because they are afraid of what their bosses will tell them. They are also afraid that they will be scolded if they commit mistakes. Therefore, you need to evaluate how you treat people in the team. If you feel like the environment is getting toxic because of you, the only way to change it is by changing your treatment of the employees.
As a leader, you have a lot of power. You can make or break the people working with you. Therefore, you need to be aware of your skills and qualities. You also need to know what your limitations are. You can lead well if you know yourself, and you can use it to work well with people around you.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image from https://i1.wp.com/blog.mindvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/looking-in-mirror.jpeg?fit=740%2C493&ssl=1
2nd image from https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-lead-when-you-have-no-authority-9f22206356d4
