Understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses is an important step toward continuous growth and self-improvement. I’m constantly surprised at how many of my personal traits that are obvious to others always take so long for me to realize. For example, I’ve long considered myself an empowering delegator. Recently, I’ve finally had to admit that I can be more of a control freak than an empowering manager. A big shift in perspective I know. It just shows the different lens in which we individually see the world.
Continuous calibration of our self-perception, therefore, is important, especially for those involved in leadership positions. Still, knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses is only the first step toward self-improvement. How we react with that knowledge is even more important.
Remember that awareness is a key step in changing the effect we can have on a team. But we also have to remember that we really can’t change who we are at the core. Many people at a point of self-realization try to transform themselves into someone completely different, which usually leads to a disappointing or disingenuous result. If you are not detailed-oriented, it is unlikely you can make that a personal strength. You, however, can try to lessen the effect of that weakness by acknowledging it and putting people in place to compensate for that weakness – as well as making a better attempt at the details. There are other traits that are more “fixable”, such as impatience, but again, it will be difficult to really change oneself at the core.
Play off of your strengths. Recognize and acknowledge your weaknesses, and be willing to compensate for it from a team perspective, rather than trying to transform yourself into someone you are not.
John, you are raising an important problem that is applicable to everyone and every organization. People are the most important capital of any business, and if we can help our people become more effective, it will help the entire organization. Self-awareness is something I coach my clients at and I also provide training in this area. Self-Awareness has a lot to do with one’s understanding how emotions work and how they affect our behaviors and actions. Why should CEO’s care for their employees having the knowledge in the area of Emotional Intelligence? Because balanced EQ of employees leads to higher motivation, better relationships within a company, enhanced loyalty of customers, more effective leadership, clearer communication, higher productivity of the whole team or/and the entire company and, thus, to generating better revenues.
Emotional Intelligence and Self-Awareness as a part of this concept are the key to success.