The Power of Awareness in Effective Leadership
The Human Brain is an Information Machine
The human brain is a serious piece of machinery, processing around 11 million bits of information every second according to some estimates, from all the different senses that are pouring into it at any time - what you are hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, and smelling all gets processed by the brain, whether you like it or not. However, this isn't the full story.
While we have all of this data, we can only actually pay significant attention to around 50 bits of information each second. Giving something your full attention is resource heavy - our focus is just that narrow, and we can often only see things that we are actively looking for. We have "selective attention".
In the realm of leadership, one quality stands out above the rest: awareness. The ability to cultivate self-awareness and remain attuned to one's surroundings is a fundamental trait that separates exceptional leaders from average ones. So, as a leader, how do you foster awareness and process as much information as possible?
The Foundation of Self-Awareness and Mindfulness
Self-awareness means understanding your values, strengths, weaknesses, and emotions. It forms the basis for building your leadership style, connecting authentically with members of your team, and making clear decisions.
Mindfulness plays a crucial role in developing self-awareness. Through practices like meditation and reflection, leaders can deepen their understanding of themselves. With focused attention on the breath or a chosen mantra, the distractions of the outside world gradually fade away, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the present moment.
Mindfulness enables us to observe our thoughts and emotions with non-judgmental clarity. Importantly, it isn’t about having no emotions, and making decisions like an egoless Buddhist monk – emotions are powerful indicators and a key factor in decision-making. But it is important to be aware and not let them cloud your judgment.
The Art of Active Listening
How often do you find yourself thinking about the next thing to say in a conversation, rather than actively listening wholeheartedly? We are all guilty of not giving conversations our full attention from time to time.
Active listening involves fully immersing oneself in conversations, paying attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues, and having genuine empathy. Even more importantly, it demonstrates trust. People know when they are being listened to. They know when somebody is going through the motions in a conversation. By being present when communicating, you are showing that you care, which builds trust – an invaluable, precious resource.
Embracing Critical Self-Assessment
Dostoevsky said that “Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.” Critically evaluating yourself is hard. But if you can master the art of assessing your own performance with honesty, you can uncover blind spots, adapt strategies, reinforce strengths, and grow as a leader.
Self-reflection requires a radical truthfulness to oneself that can be tricky to get used to – but once you do, it is a powerful tool that can help you make much clearer decisions and be more aware of your actions.
Coaching and therapy can both help with how you perceive yourself. They are very different beasts, but both have the same method and goal – self-assessment for self-improvement. There are lots of ways to hop into self-awareness, but remember – being honest doesn’t mean being unkind. This isn’t about beating yourself down, it’s about helping.
Seeking and Accepting Feedback
We recently discussed mentors and the possibility of having more than one mentor for yourself. A huge part of having a mentor is the ability to gather honest and open feedback. An outside perspective is invaluable when trying to become more aware as a leader.
Feedback isn’t just about finding your weaknesses, either. It can actually be incredibly useful to think about your strengths as well. Some of the most useful feedback you can get is a surprising strength – something that you didn’t even know was going well. By accepting both positive (reinforcing) and negative (constructive) feedback, you can play to your strengths and fix your weaknesses. But you can only do that when you are aware and open.
Awareness is a Cornerstone of Leadership
An aware leader not only understands their own strengths and weaknesses but also empathizes with others and fosters an environment conducive to growth and collaboration. By being fully aware of ourselves and our surroundings, we can improve our organizations by focusing our efforts on the right place.
Next time you look at something, take a step back for a few minutes. If you are a big-picture person, have a look at some of the building blocks that make up the entire picture. If you are more detail-oriented, consider the woods and not just the trees. We function on information – so make sure you are getting as much data as you can.
Meridith Marshall is the CEO and Founder of Uncharted Way and has seen firsthand how people and organizations can navigate the most difficult of circumstances with clarity and openness to improve employee experience and culture in their workplace. She is an industry-recognized expert in using a data-driven approach, and is an Interaction Associates trained facilitator and certified Co-Active coach.