Self-Awareness

A520.1.4.RB

Having been exposed to numerous leadership theories and concepts in my Master’s in Leadership program (MSLD), one topic that has really resonated with me is the topic of self-awareness. As a leader or manager of others, one has to have a firm grasp of who they are, what they are capable of, know their strengths & weakness, and initiate change or adjust to their situation or environment. Thus, by properly exercising self-awareness, one has the ability to search internally to improve them self and continuously grow. “The knowledge we possess about ourselves, which produces our self-concept, is central to improving our management skills. We cannot improve ourselves or develop new capabilities unless we know what level of capability we possess” (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, p. 45).

As a former military leader, I have to some degree, used self-awareness personally and professionally. However, as I have learned more about self-awareness and the critical thinking involved, I can say with certainty that my previous understanding and practice of self-awareness was rudimentary at best. Specifically, not having the ability at the time to further explore deeper levels of thought and understanding as we are required to do in the MSLD program. Yet, for the sake of learning and exercising my self-awareness skills, I will identify particular situations during my time in service and attempt to view the situation from a different lens and how I dealt with the situation or how I was affected by the situation from a leader stand point and a personal stand point.

Of the “Five Core Aspects of Self-Awareness,” which include: “Emotional Intelligence, Core Self-Evaluation, Values, Cognitive Style, and Attitudes Towards Change” (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, p. 49), I actively seek to improve is emotional intelligence. “Emotional intelligence refers specifically to: (1) the ability to diagnose and recognize your own emotions, (2) the ability to control your own emotions, (3) the ability to recognize and diagnose emotions displayed by others, and (4) the ability to respond appropriately to those emotional cues” (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, p. 50). With a background leadership and in law enforcement, much of my daily interaction with others involved these aspects of emotionally intelligence. Especially when dealing with someone in a highly charge emotional situation. I learned that each situation was different, specifically, each person responds differently to certain stressors. Having the ability to recognize behaviors by others and responding appropriately to cues is vital to effectiveness and safety. Furthermore, by maintaining control of my emotions in a given situation was paramount in conducting myself professionally.

As I noted above, through my development of understanding about emotional intelligence as it relates to self-awareness in the MSLD program, I believe I now have a more thorough grasp of viewing situations from other perspectives. Moreover, I have incorporated this understanding more into my personal interactions with family, friends and others in general. I find myself exploring and taking others perspective into account and the influence I have in my dealings with them. I feel confident that as I progress through the MSLD program, I will gain more insight of myself and the way I work with others, which will improve my effectiveness.

References

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.