Leader self-awareness. Learn 5 tips and 2 tools (FRIS®, RMP) to support leadership development.

Leader Self-Awareness

A friend of mine, who had been in a management position for years, was convinced that he embodied the profile of a perfect leader. Responsible for results, planning, optimizing processes, and controlling key indicators. He felt very confident in these areas. However, when he joined a new company a few months ago that was focused on building an open, collaborative culture, he quickly realized that something was wrong and things were slipping away from him. In addition, instead of focusing on metrics, his team was expecting a deeper dialogue, listening to individual needs and understanding motivations. Meanwhile, my friend was at a loss as to where to begin. Meetings with the team were increasingly ending with blank stares, silence, and understatement. Instead of enthusiasm, frustration grew among team members.

When he told me another story from his business backyard, I suggested to him:

– “Or maybe just try to find the answers within yourself and look at what kind of person you are before you lead others. If I were in your position and I had people around me who were so focused on building relationships, that would be where I would start.

This sentence acted as a catalyst for him. Literally a few days passed when he enrolled in the self-awareness workshop I recommended and did the FRIS® and Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) psychometric tests.

I knew that his analytical mind, accustomed to working with hard data and accurate charts, would appreciate a report based on psychometric methodology. Although filling out such a questionnaire is primarily a matter of self-reporting, the reliable and thoughtful design of the entire survey ensures that we get an objective analysis and characterization of our traits. As a result, my friend received something like a map of his own functioning. Concrete bars, numbers, and conclusions appealed to his love of facts and figures. As a result, he was able to understand the reasons for his reactions more quickly, rather than relying solely on loose observations.

When we met again, he was able to clearly articulate why he reacts aggressively (from his perspective) in some situations, why he strives for precision, and why he finds it so difficult to delegate tasks without full control.

Why is a leader’s lack of self-reflection such a big problem?

Many leaders still assume that their most important job is to deliver results and meet business goals. Of course, they are right to some extent, as organizations hold them accountable for numbers and meeting metrics. But the challenge is that it takes more than that to build effective teams and organizations.

Research by professors at Cornell University and Green Peak Partners has shown that a leader’s self-awareness and related “human competencies” are more strongly correlated with a leader’s success than hard business skills.

In a long-term analysis of 72 senior executives, a direct correlation was found between high self-awareness (including interpersonal skills) and better financial performance.

The authors of this research summed it up briefly, “soft values produce hard results,” and the most effective leaders were those who know themselves and can work with people.

The “Global Leadership Forecast” report shows that as many as 65% of companies surveyed indicate a human competency deficit among executives. In other words – leaders lack skills such as empathy, communication or self-awareness.

The result is high employee turnover, team insecurity, mistrust of managers, and reduced efficiency.

Data published by Gallup in its State of the Global Workplace report shows that only 21% of employees report high levels of engagement at work. The rest are either mechanically performing tasks or even actively looking for a new job.

Experts point to a lack of authentic, informed leadership as the cause of such low engagement. A leader who does not understand his or her own reactions cannot effectively serve the team. In a reality dominated by technology, more and more organizations are looking for leaders who can shape a culture based on trust and partnership. To do this, they need leaders who demonstrate self-awareness and understand the reactions taking place within them at three levels of self-awareness:

1. Me with myself – recognizing my own emotions, motivations and values.
2. Me in contact with another person – the ability to notice how I react to the words, attitudes, and criticisms of others.
3. Me in contact with the team – a full understanding of group dynamics and the impact on the atmosphere and results.

Most managers believe they are self-aware, but the reality can be quite different.

Dr. Tasha Eurich’s research has shown that 95% of people think they are self-aware, when in fact only 10-15% actually possess this trait. This means that many managers and directors may be unknowingly making serious mistakes in their relationships with people and in their decision making.

What does a leader who lacks self-awareness look like? He or she is often convinced of his or her infallibility, does not listen to critical comments, and downplays problems signaled by the team. Such a leadership style may seem effective at first (especially if the leader is charismatic and “pushes for results”), but over time it (or the leader) takes a fatal toll.

A side effect of a leader’s lack of self-awareness is a lack of feedback. This is because no one has the courage to tell him the truth, resulting in a negative behavioral fixation.

The Korn Ferry Institute analyzed the performance of 6,977 managers at 486 companies and found that organizations with a higher percentage of self-aware employees (from rank-and-file to executives) performed better financially than those where a lack of reflection was prevalent. In financially underperforming companies, the percentage of employees with serious blind spots was as much as 20% higher than in successful companies.

The consequences of ignoring self-awareness affect many organizations from the inside.

“Employees don’t leave their companies, they leave their bosses.” – This popular adage is backed up by the data. According to a Gallup survey, one in two employees left their job to get away from their manager.

The main reasons for this decision are frustration, lack of trust, lack of understanding, and feeling undervalued by the manager. When a manager does not realize (or pay attention to) how his or her words or decisions affect the team, it is easy for motivation, commitment, and even “quiet resignation” to decline.

In the age of social media and sites like Glassdoor, negative opinions about management style can spread quickly and damage a company’s reputation in the talent market. What’s more, modern trends such as the Great Post-Pandemic Resurgence and the rise of diversity and inclusion have employees clamoring for empathetic, authentic leaders. A leader without self-awareness, who cannot admit when he or she has made a mistake or see the needs of his or her team, risks being left behind.

What does research and theory tell us about conscious leadership?

Self-awareness is positively correlated with the ability to build healthy team relationships, but developing this skill requires systematic work and constant feedback.

McKinsey & Company, in its publication “Great Attrition or Great Attraction? The choice is yours“, points out that the leadership crisis, manifested in a lack of empathy and flexibility, is one of the main reasons for increasing employee turnover.

Among the theories that can help you develop as a leader, the importance of emotional intelligence is often discussed. In the 1990s, Daniel Goleman emphasized that self-awareness is the foundation for developing the other competencies associated with emotional intelligence. Today’s Tasha Eurich adds that there are two types of self-awareness:

• Internal (how we perceive ourselves),
• and external (how others perceive us).

An important concept closely related to self-awareness is authentic leadership. The theory of authentic leadership posits that a leader based on self-awareness, self-acceptance, and ethics builds greater trust within the team, which translates into better employee performance. Recent empirical research has shown that authentic leadership significantly promotes the flourishing (development and well-being) of employees by increasing trust in the leader.

The Johari window also sheds interesting light on the issue . This is a psychological model developed by Luft and Ingham. It divides self-knowledge into four zones:

• Arena – that part of our conscious self – our attitudes, behavior, motivation, values, and way of life – that we are aware of and that is known to others. We move within this area with freedom. We are “open books”.
• Hidden – adjectives selected by the subject, but not by any of their peers, go in this quadrant. These are things the peers are either unaware of, or that are untrue but for the subject’s claim.
• Blind Spot – adjectives not selected by subjects, but only by their peers go here. These represent what others perceive but the subject does not.
• Unknown -adjectives that neither the subject nor the peers selected go here. They represent the subject’s behaviors or motives that no one participating recognizes – either because they do not apply or because of collective ignorance of these traits.

For a leader, this “blind spot” is particularly dangerous. The solution is to actively seek feedback and openly communicate one’s intentions. The Johari model teaches that by sharing information about oneself and asking for honest feedback, a leader can significantly expand the scope of his or her self-awareness, and thus his or her effectiveness, efficiency, and better relationship building.

On the other hand, there is no denying that self-awareness is sometimes criticized for being too introspective. Some experts say that excessive focus on the self can lead to procrastination and decision paralysis. That’s why I think it’s important to strike a balance between self-reflection and action.

Personally, I have found FRIS® and RMP to be very helpful in this area. These surveys allow us to get to know ourselves better and understand why we behave the way we do in certain situations, without limiting ourselves to hurtful labels. They are diagnostic tools that help us to consciously use our own potential and to develop in the context of cooperation with others.

FRIS® – a style of thinking and acting

Psychometric assessments and tests that provide a structured picture of ourselves are helpful in building self-awareness. Some tell us about our personality, others look at our natural styles of thinking and acting. There are also some that answer the question, “What motivates us? .

My favorite tool is actually FRIS® (an acronym for Facts, Relationships, Ideas, Structures). It’s an original Polish study that diagnoses how we process information and solve problems. FRIS® distinguishes four cognitive perspectives (Facts, Relationships, Ideas, Structures), and based on them defines four thinking styles, which I will describe in a really simplified way:

• Sprinter – for whom Facts are the dominant perspective. He likes a task-oriented approach and focuses on closing current topics, tasks or problems.
• Partner – whose main perspective is Relationships. Values cooperation with others instead of competition.
• Visionary – looking through the lens of Ideas. He looks for non-standard solutions and initiates new ideas or ventures.
• Thinker – who relies on Structure. He prefers to deeply understand what he is doing and why, before moving to action.

Importantly, none of these styles is better or worse. Each has its strengths and potential long tails. Most importantly, it helps to bring awareness to how we make decisions, how we implement them, and how we communicate with others.

Knowing one’s own FRIS® profile allows a leader to understand how he or she responds to challenges and problems, what may frustrate him or her, and how to build communication with his or her team. If a competitive leader encounters an analytical Thinker on the team, without being aware of the differences in styles, he may suspect him of being “too cautious,” while the Thinker needs accurate data to make the best possible decision that will not “bounce back” in the future.

Other differences can be seen when the Visionary and the Thinker work together as a team. The Visionary tosses ideas around with vigor and wants to move on to the next idea as quickly as possible. The Thinker, on the other hand, needs time to analyze the risks and technical details. When the Visionary understands the need for in-depth analysis and the Thinker appreciates the out-of-the-box approach, they can achieve fantastic results together. It’s a combination of big ideas with a concrete implementation plan.

The Partner and the Sprinter, on the other hand, often approach team tasks differently. The Partner values relationships and collaboration the most, so he will want to take care of everyone before setting a specific direction. Meanwhile, the Sprinter likes to make decisions quickly and works hard to achieve goals. Lack of mutual understanding of intentions can lead to tension. The Partner will feel ignored and the Sprinter will feel impatient. However, once both parties see that such differences can be reconciled, a space is created in which the partner is concerned with the group’s atmosphere and cohesion, and the player puts the team into action mode and strives to complete the task.

FRIS® provides a common language to explain differences between people and makes it easier to reach agreement. It can help you avoid misunderstandings that arise from different ways of thinking and help team members understand that everyone is working toward the same goal, just in different ways.

The FRIS® profile describes me as a Thinker. On the one hand, this has a number of advantages, because it’s easier for me to look at problems from a distance, to approach many difficult issues “cold”, and to make decisions based on data. But I also have my long tails that I have to keep in mind.

I have an anecdote that I often share during conversations about self-awareness.

Few years ago when I needed to buy a small energy storage device (a large power bank) for my apartment. The selection process, which would probably take an hour for other people, turned into a research expedition of several weeks for me. I started by comparing models, then created a comparison spreadsheet, started reading technical documentation, and ended up studying how to build small wind turbines and energy storage on my own balcony! If I had approached every business decision the same way, the company would not have had a chance to grow. By understanding my thinking style, I can consciously adjust my behavior to allow for deep analysis when needed and force myself to make quicker decisions when the situation calls for it.

Importantly, FRIS® is supported by psychometric testing, has high reliability (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.76-0.82), and diagnostic accuracy. In practice, this means that the results provide a reliable picture of actual cognitive preferences, rather than random labels or other horoscope effects. The test itself does not answer the question “Who am I?” but rather “How do I think and act?”, making it closer to the practical needs of managers who want to improve team collaboration and more effective decision-making. In addition, the survey is very easy to understand its key concepts, so once you know your profile, you can use the knowledge behind the process to build relationships and collaborate more effectively with your team. There is no evaluation or judgment involved.

RMP – discover internal motivators

A second tool that complements FRIS® is the Reiss Motivation Profile®. Its creator, Professor Steven Reiss, in his search for the answer to the question “What makes us happy in life?” defined 16 areas in which a person’s motivation is contained. Professor Reiss called these areas motivators; they are universal and each of us has them, but for each of us they take on different values depending on our genes and our childhood and adult life experiences.

Since there are millions of possible combinations of different values assigned to each motivator, RMP is one of the few tools that fully reflects the individuality of a person and points out that each of us is different, unique and motivated by different tasks, goals or boundary conditions.

Each person has a unique hierarchy of these motivators, which can be likened to “motivational DNA.” Learning the results of your own RMP will allow you to get to know yourself and your needs better, and then design your future in such a way that you live in harmony with yourself. It will also allow you to find answers to questions from each of the 16 areas:

• What are my talents and natural abilities?
• What motivates me?
• In what ways can I grow?
• How can I carry out my plans and make the right decisions?
• How can I communicate better with others and resolve conflicts?
• What is holding me back?
• What is my why – why do I get up in the morning and want to go to work, or why do I get up in the morning and feel the frustration of being a leader?

Suddenly, it appears that the high status motivator manifests itself in a strong need to stand out and accentuate achievements before others. If someone has his “internal fuel” set in this way, he is eager to present the results of his own work and is sometimes sensitive to whether the audience notices his efforts.

A low need for appreciation, on the other hand, can explain why a leader rarely praises subordinates or tends to be more resistant to outside feedback (because he himself does not feel a strong need for confirmation of his actions). For a leader, this is a valuable clue, because if he himself prefers to hear appreciation on the basis of “You did great,” he will tend to give similar feedback to others, which to a person with low appreciation may seem too general and of little value. That’s why it’s useful to know what forms of praise work best for individual team members. Some want to hear: “I appreciate your effort and commitment,” while others prefer specifics like, “Thanks to you, we completed the project ahead of schedule.”

With RMP, a leader can also better match the motivation style of employees to specific individuals. If someone on the team has a high curiosity motivator, they will need challenging projects that develop knowledge and allow them to dive into analysis. Conversely, an employee with high social contacts will feel comfortable in an environment based on frequent communication and partnership. When, in addition, he has high “recognition” and “status” he will appreciate praise for even small successes in a group setting. In the case of low “status” but still high “recognition,” he prefers appreciation during 1:1 meetings.

The report also helps avoid the illusion that a one-size-fits-all management style is enough. In practice, every employee needs a slightly different combination of tasks, communication and forms of appreciation. A deeper understanding of these differences translates into greater empathy, reduced misunderstandings and more effective delegation, because the leader can see what really “drives” whom.

Of course, tools alone – FRIS® or RMP – are not enough to make changes in leadership style. It is crucial to discuss the results with an experienced coach or psychologist, and then implement the findings in daily management practice. Nevertheless, both the FRIS® and the Reiss Motivation Profile® are valuable starting points for self-reflection, allowing you to discover your own “blind spots” and consciously influence the culture of your team.

I can tell you from experience that some results can really surprise you hard until you analyze them in the reality of our daily relationships and challenges. Therefore, it is extremely important to discuss your RMP profile with a consultant who specializes in this. I personally recommend Maciek Pawlowski.

Leadership self-awareness – five practical steps for development

Translating self-awareness into daily leadership practice is a process that requires both an openness to feedback and a willingness to take action. The FRIS® or RMP results alone are only a document – it is only by putting the results into practice that you grow as a leader. The following five steps can be a great complement to this type of research and help you strengthen your foundation of self-awareness. Each brings a slightly different perspective and suggests how to move from mere self-knowledge to real behavior change.

Step 1: Get candid 360 feedback

No one will judge us as well as those around us. So the first step to self-awareness is to find out how others see us. A good tool is 360-degree feedback. This is an anonymous questionnaire or interviews in which team members, colleagues and superiors evaluate your work style. The key to this process is your attitude. Accept the feedback with humility and a willingness to learn, not defensively. As Professor Alberto Ribera of IESE notes, a well-conducted 360 assessment can be “an extremely valuable source of insight, a spark that ignites personal and professional growth,” provided the leader approaches it honestly and with complete openness.

You can also regularly ask the team for feedback in a less formal way, such as at the end of a project: “What could I have done better on this assignment? Also, create a space (even if it is just an anonymous box) to share feedback. Remember that feedback is a gift, even if it is sometimes hard to swallow. The more you know about your blind spots, the easier it will be to avoid them.

Step 2: Find an outside guide – use a coach or mentor

Sometimes it’s difficult to evaluate yourself objectively, even with the best of intentions. That’s why it can be helpful to have the support of an “external mirror” in the form of a mentor or coach. Such a person will both help you reflect and challenge you as you rationalize your weaknesses.

If coaching has been found to be valuable at the top management level of global companies, all the more reason to take advantage of it at earlier stages of your career. A good coach will also help you turn feedback into concrete action. This outside perspective and the development of a development plan together will accelerate your growth in self-awareness.

Step 3: Practice daily self-reflection (journaling, mindful moment)

A leader’s self-awareness is built in silence and reflection. In the busyness of business, it is easy to overlook one’s own reactions and fail to ask: “Why did I feel anger or fear? Therefore, the third step is to make a habit of regular reflection. The forms may vary:

• Journaling – spending a few minutes at the end of the day writing about what happened and how you responded. What went well? What are you proud of? What went wrong and why? The very act of writing down thoughts helps to organize them. Many prominent leaders, such as Ray Dalio and Bill George, emphasize that journaling has allowed them to better understand themselves.
• Mindfulness moments – You don’t have to meditate for hours; just 5-10 minutes of quiet breathing throughout the day is enough to sharpen your awareness of your thoughts and emotions. Studies show that practicing mindfulness lowers stress levels and increases the ability to recognize one’s own emotional states.
• Follow-up questions – Coach Marshall Goldsmith suggests asking yourself a few important questions each day, such as, “What did I do today to be a better leader than I was yesterday?”, “Did the way I responded reflect my values? Such “soul-searching” will keep you on the right track.

I encourage you to choose the time of day that works best for you. Either in the morning or in the evening, and devote it to meeting with yourself. Over time, self-reflection builds the habit of recognizing one’s emotional states as they arise, which is critical to building a leader’s self-awareness.

Step 4: Identify your emotional triggers and patterns

Every leader has situations that throw them off balance. Criticism during a presentation, conflict in a team, an unexpected change of plans by management, problems in a project. Such “triggers” set off automatic reactions (anger, defensiveness, withdrawal). To control them, you must first notice and understand them. Regular analysis of recent events and your own feelings (for example, in the diary I mentioned earlier) is helpful here. Do you understand what triggered your reaction? Why did it hurt you?

Once you identify patterns, you can develop a counterstrategy. For example, if you know you tend to be perfectionistic and harshly critical, plan to consciously begin your subordinate’s feedback with a positive. If you are stressed by difficult questions at board meetings, resolve to clearly acknowledge: “We don’t have the data yet, I’ll get back to you later,” instead of improvising. According to Daniel Goleman, this is nothing more than training your brain’s “emergency brake” – instead of operating on autopilot, you consciously choose a more mature response.

Step 5: Define your values and “why” – and return to them regularly

Self-awareness as a leader means not only knowing your weaknesses, but also having a deep understanding of your values and mission. Take the time to identify your priorities – what is most important to you in life and in business? When you examine yourself with FRIS or RMP, everything is handed to you on a platter. All you have to do is work with your results. If not, you can try writing them out yourself and see if your decisions and leadership style conflict with them.

The “person in the mirror” exercise, or looking at yourself through the eyes of your own employee, can be useful. Would you like to have the kind of boss you are yourself? As a subordinate, would you feel well treated, appreciated, listened to? In his books, Simon Sinek writes: “Start with why“, that is, start with your “why,” because it sets the path in daily decisions. Good like-minded leaders are known for the fact that their stated values are actually reflected in their daily actions. As a result, they earn the respect and trust of their teams.

By defining your “north on the compass,” you will notice discrepancies between what you preach and what you actually do. This, in turn, enables you to correct course before minor oversights become major relationship problems and erode your organizational culture.

Benefits of self-awareness

You already know the dangers of lack of reflection and why it is so important to understand your own reactions and emotions. But what does this translate into in practice?

A simulation involving more than 300 leaders found that groups led by people with high self-awareness achieved better coordination of activities and collaborated more effectively. The Harvard Business Review, on the other hand, reports that subordinates of “not self-aware” bosses are more likely to suffer from stress and consider changing jobs.

A major benefit of conscious self-examination is the ability to calm one’s own emotions, biases, and cognitive errors. For example, a leader who is aware of his or her tendency to make quick (perhaps too quick) judgments knows when to step back and gather more information. As a result, they are less likely to succumb to the confirmation effect or overconfidence. Additional benefits may include

• Avoid the Dunning-Kruger Effect – This psychological mechanism causes low-competence people to cultivate exaggerated self-confidence. A confident leader understands his or her own value and the limits of their knowledge, so they are more likely to surround themselves with specialists in areas where they are not experts.
• Better strategic decisions – Research shows that managers who make decisions with their own biases and emotions in mind are more likely to seek additional perspectives and facts. This results in more accurate decisions that serve the long-term goals of the organization.
• Openness to feedback and quick course correction – A conscious leader is not afraid to admit “I don’t know” or “I was wrong” when there are signs that past actions are not working. This reduces the risk of getting stuck in bad decisions because of ego. Lack of self-awareness leads to ignoring the team’s comments and repeating the same mistakes.
• Understanding strengths and limitations – When a leader understands his or her strengths and limitations, he or she can delegate tasks more wisely, build a team with complementary talents, and motivate people more effectively. This is supported by the knowledge of differences in thinking styles (FRIS®) or in the area of intrinsic motivators (RMP) mentioned above. Employees who feel that their talents are being realistically used are more engaged and have a better attitude.
• Greater Empathy – A leader who understands his or her own emotions has greater empathy for employees and can more easily “feel” the mood of the group. As a result, employees feel listened to rather than judged, which further builds a culture of mutual support. In addition, empathy is an important aspect of creating collaborative places and products that respond to real user needs. Such a leader finds it easier to step into the customer’s shoes and create original and needed solutions.
• Managing relationships and building trust in the organization – finally, it cannot be overlooked that a leader who “knows who he is” knows how to consciously shape his behavior and build healthy relationships throughout the company. Not only with employees, but also with customers or investors. Research by Dr. Tasha Eurich has shown that managers with so-called external self-awareness are considered more effective and have employees with higher levels of job satisfaction. A self-aware boss is consistent in what he says and does. This makes people trust him, because they see that there is no game of appearances. Authenticity strengthens team members’ willingness to share information, which helps avoid so-called internal “silent sabotages” (mistakes and misunderstandings resulting from lack of sincere communication). Meanwhile, a Leader lacking self-awareness may not recognize his negative tone or chaos in management. Such a “style” quickly burns people out and increases the desire to leave.

Trends that will increase the importance of self-awareness

All the signs in heaven and earth …. well… especially in reports and forecasts, indicate that the future of business will require even greater self-awareness from leaders, and for several reasons.

First, human competencies are growing in digitized and automated organizations. In its Future of Jobs report, the World Economic Forum says that among the key job skills for the coming years, along with analytical thinking or knowledge of technology, abilities related to working with people and oneself rank high. In the latest edition of this report, a competency described as “self-management (self-management), including self-awareness and active learning” was among the top 5 most desired abilities. The more tasks algorithms and artificial intelligence take over, the more unique the human ability to think consciously, adapt and respond intelligently to change will become. A leader of the future is someone who not only uses technology, but also understands himself enough to use it wisely.

Second, the next generation of employees expects authentic and informed leadership. Millennials and Gen Z, who are increasingly filling the leadership ranks, speak openly about the importance of self-development, mental health, and values in the workplace. According to a global survey by Deloitte, young professionals want leaders who are “authentic, transparent and have a clear value system. In fact, three-quarters of them say they would not hesitate to leave a company whose culture differs from their expectations in terms of support and ethics. This trend is forcing a shift toward human-centered, people-focused leadership. Programs like “conscious leadership” are becoming popular, teaching leaders mindfulness, empathy, and just plain self-awareness, among other things. Even I myself am increasingly sharing my experiences with illness in public, openly sharing how personal experiences have taught me empathy and influenced my leadership style. Today, I am not alone. More and more top executives are choosing to be so transparent and share their own lessons in humility, but just a decade ago, such honesty was rare.

Third, business is becoming increasingly complex and multidimensional, requiring self-awareness at a systemic level. Challenges such as climate change, social responsibility, and diversity and inclusion are forcing leaders to constantly reflect on their own assumptions. For example, the issue of unconscious bias in hiring continues to grow in importance. Many companies offer training on how to identify and reduce unconscious bias. Without self-awareness of communication habits or perspective from one’s own background, it is difficult for a leader to be fully inclusive. You may have a natural tendency to hire people who are similar to you, which in the long run can make it difficult for new employees to fill your skill gaps.

The prevalence of remote/hybrid work also requires a conscious leadership style. Without physically seeing the team, you need to listen more carefully and sense moods, which in turn requires empathy and self-awareness.

In addition, there is growing evidence that emotional intelligence will be as important as traditional KPIs in assessing a leader’s effectiveness. Tomorrow’s leadership will be driven by emotional intelligence, and therefore self-awareness, because it is what will separate humans from machines. From a business leader’s perspective, this is good news, because by investing in self-awareness, you are investing in the most developmental of your competencies.

Leaders who get stuck in the old model of the all-knowing boss behind the mahogany desk will lose the trust of younger employees and may lose out in the innovation race. In contrast, leaders who are curious and develop internally will gain a huge advantage.

Summary

Imagine a situation where you are setting the direction for the entire organization. You have numbers, timelines, and strategies in front of you. But what really makes the difference is your willingness to learn about your own reactions and values, and then incorporate them into your decision-making process. Because a leader’s self-awareness isn’t just a fashionable addition to a resume-it’s the foundation that determines whether your team will stay with you for better or worse, or sooner or later choose a different path.

So I encourage you to try at least one of these steps. It could be talking to a coach, taking a FRIS® test, analyzing your own RMP motivational profile, or maybe just having a frank conversation with your team about what drives you. Without self-awareness, it is difficult to lead others. And once you start the journey, you’ll see how much of a difference a simple “I understand what motivates me and I know how to help my people” makes in your daily work.

After all, leadership self-awareness is not an end in itself-it’s a way to humanize your organization and make you a leader people want to follow.