I was recently reviewing some notes from a session with the incomparable Dr Linda Folan where she stated that in exploring leadership, self-awareness without self-management is useless. This is indeed a bold statement that and one that resonated incredibly strongly with me. As the workplace becomes filled with a wide range of generations, this insight is a nugget.
When I look back on the thirty years I have been in the workplace, it would seem that Boomers nailed the self-management aspect, while younger generations have nailed the self-awareness aspect. Often, conflict in the workplace is due to the need for individuals to possess both!
Learning to develop self-awareness and then manage that awareness is something we need to emulate as leaders and encourage our followers to do.
If, as a leader, you only have one of one of the “self” attributes in your tool kit you will struggle to connect with cross generational personalities, issues, and challenges. This is because there is a corresponding quadrant to self-awareness and self-management. This is social awareness and social skills. As leaders, we need social awareness to know what social skills to employ to influence. Remember, leadership is about taking our followers on a journey with us, and if we cannot influence them effectively how can we succeed?
If you would like to explore this exciting aspect of leadership, please reach out by email elizabethdenniss@bigpond.com to arrange a leadership development session.