In the workplace, self-awareness refers to an individual’s ability to recognize their own strengths, weaknesses, values, and emotions, as well as how these aspects affect their behavior and interactions with others. It involves being able to reflect on one’s own experiences and behaviors, and applying that information to improve performance and strengthen relationships with co-workers.
How could self-awareness in the work environment help you?
1. Build stronger relationships: individuals can better navigate interpersonal interactions with colleagues, clients, and customers by recognizing their own communication styles and emotional proclivities.
2. Enhance leadership skills: self-aware leaders realize their own abilities and limitations and utilize that information to build effective teams and assign work appropriately.
3. Increase productivity: self-aware individuals are better able to identify areas where they need to improve and take proactive steps to address those areas, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction.
4. Manage stress: understanding one’s unique emotional triggers and stress responses can help people manage stress and avoid burnout.
Two major forms of self-awareness emerged throughout the studies done by psychologist Tasha Eurich and her colleagues in 2018. The first, which we call internal self-awareness, refers to how well we understand our own beliefs, desires, aspirations, reactions (including thoughts, feelings, and behaviors), and impact on others. Internal self-awareness has been found to be positively related to job and relationship satisfaction, personal and social control, and happiness, and adversely related to anxiety, stress, and depression.
The second category, external self-awareness, refers to understanding how other people perceive themselves in terms of the same elements mentioned above. According to Eurich’s findings, people who understand how others perceive them are better at displaying empathy and understanding the viewpoints of others. Leaders, too, benefit from external self-awareness, being better able to view themselves through the eyes of their staff.
Internal self-awareness vs. external self-awareness (Eurich, 2018).
Overall, self-awareness is an important skill to cultivate in the workplace, as it can lead to increased job satisfaction and success as well as stronger relationships with colleagues and clients.
Reference:
Eurich, T. (2023). What self-awareness really is (and how to cultivate it). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it
Author: Maha Al Gafri