Hey Self!
Did you wake up today, saying: “Hey, I want to be self-aware today!” Probably not.
But not knowing yourself limits you as a conscious leader. Every. Darn. Day.
Self-awareness is a cornerstone of conscious leadership.
You can grow it by self-reflection, feedback and assessments. The Enneagram is my favorite. It’s an ancient wisdom tool that shows us our lens on the world.
So how do you learn what makes you tick? And how do you get to know your blind spots and what occupies your thoughts?
Self-reflection is a good place to start.
Regularly reflecting on your day helps you see what’s working. Then focus on what’s in your control. Meditation also helps you experience your thoughts, feelings and sensations as transient states, not fixtures. Even meditating for just 10 minutes a day develops your Inner Observer. That helps you stay in the present moment, not the reactivity of the past or the future.
Then there’s feedback.
Women leaders who have gained seniority or become CEOs of their own business, crave feedback. As you become more senior, that feedback comes from working with a coach, joining a leadership group or developing trusted advisors who tell you the truth. If you view feedback as a gift, you’ll experience even more growth.
And finally, the Enneagram is a highly effective way to develop self-awareness.
The Enneagram is a personality typing tool that shows the nine ways we see the world. Our unconscious patterns, core motivations and mental and emotional fixations of our type strongly influence how we move through the world . That is, until we become aware of them.
Can you find your mental habit among the nine types below? Is your brain being wired for one of these views of the world?
One: Resentment Paying attention to flaws so that nothing ever seems good enough
Two: Flattery Gaining acceptance by giving compliments or paying attention to others
Three: Vanity Strategizing about creating an idealized image to appear successful
Four: Melancholy Constant thoughts about what’s missing and separating self from others
Five: Stinginess A scarcity paradigm creating a thirst for knowledge & reluctance to share
Six: Cowardice Doubt and worry thoughts that cause continuous creation of worst-case or anticipatory scenarios
Seven: Planning When the mind goes unto hypergear and rapidly moves from one thing to another
Eight: Vengeance The mental process of rebalancing wrongs through thoughts related to anger, blame and intimidation
Nine: Laziness Lack of attention to one’s feelings and needs, resulting in lack of action on what they most desire
What’s Your Leadership Style?
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