Know Yourself

Truly knowing yourself is a powerful lever for initiating personal growth and development. Over the years, many of the best business leaders I’ve worked alongside have always had an excellent sense of themselves—this was a common trait they’ve all shared. They knew their strengths and weaknesses, knew what they were passionate about pursuing personally and professionally, and lived their values.

It’s been said there are several levels of knowledge. Knowing something for certain is the first. The second is thinking you know something. The third is knowing with certainty you do not know something. The fourth is the killer: not knowing that you don’t know something. This last state of knowledge is the most dangerous. What do you not know about yourself that, perhaps, others know all too well?

Some time ago, at one of MAP’s executive workshops, a client learned through his 360-degree feedback that he had a definitive problem with conflict avoidance. He’d hired a couple of friends to work with him, but these friends were now ruining his business and their friendship. Everyone in the company, except the leader, could see that he was afraid to stand up to these co-worker “buddies.” However, once he got to the heart of the feedback and learned that he had a serious aversion to conflict, he went back to his company and changed his ways. Aware of his weakness, he took corrective action to strengthen it and evolved into a highly capable, much more respected leader.

How does this relate to your ability to lead yourself? When you know yourself well, you are better able to maximize your leadership potential. You will realize what’s working for you and what’s not. You will gain clarity on how to leverage your strengths and overcome your weaknesses. For example, you may fully realize that you need to drop some old habits that have gotten in the way of your success. At the same time, you will likely find it’s time to take on some new, consistent practices to help you meet goals.

Change is hard. Just look at the millions of people in the United States who are struggling to change habits around diet and exercise but regularly fail at their efforts. A 2010 study conducted by researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine showed that of the two-thirds of American people who are overweight or obese, only one in six had actually maintained the weight loss. This example shows how people commonly struggle with changes, and the reasons for their failures are many. Likewise, there are countless external reasons why making critical changes of all kinds is hard for us. However, most of our barriers to change rise from within.

We are creatures of habit, generally resisting what’s different or new whenever we can in our personal or professional lives. Staying the same feels simply easier, causes less stress, doesn’t disrupt our busy lives, and allows us to simply “be.” But we all know resistance to change causes problems, particularly for leaders. Start by realizing that change isn’t easy, but it is necessary for leadership growth and development. Anticipate that you’ll hit some occasional speed bumps, perhaps even major setbacks, along the way. That’s normal—don’t let it surprise you.

As you adopt more of the right leadership habits, remember that change is a process, not an event. Part of initiating that process is an examination of the self, an analysis that can provide the building blocks upon which you can create your overall plan for improvement. As outlined below, it includes understanding your past, studying your present situation, and thinking about where you want to be in the future:

Study the past. Thinking about your past successes and failures is a good place to start. It provides transparency on what’s happened and positions you for change. For example, has anyone ever said, “You know, you’ve had the habit of doing or saying X every time Y has happened?” This looking back is a powerful exercise for understanding what you’ve done to succeed. For example, maybe you’ve been a great communicator, a real star at persuading others to adopt your point of view. You’ve repeatedly used this skill in the past to sell your ideas and create excitement in others. Since good communication is vital to effective leadership, you should leverage this newly identified strength to make progress toward your goals.

On the flip side, you might uncover specific behaviors or habits that have gotten in the way of past goal achievement. Perhaps you might discover that, as the familiar definition of insanity states, you’ve been doing the same thing over and over again, always expecting different results. Looking back—spotting pitfalls in behaviors and actions and noting patterns of self-defeat—gives you a chance to dig deep and be honest about what you’ve done to trip up time and time again. That precious self-realization, the ownership of your own role in any past transgressions, is vital. It will inspire the mindset you’ll need to finally quit bad habits for good.

Examine the present. If you want to make a lasting, personal change that results in any sort of sustained growth, you’ve got to take a hard look at your current situation. Conduct a situation analysis to identify what you’re good at and what you are doing right. Think about your job and explore what’s been going well and why. Then shift your thoughts to determine where you’re falling short of your potential. Identify the choices you’re making that don’t align with your career goals. How well are you managing your priorities? What obstacles are getting in your way? Developing an accurate snapshot of your current situation will better equip you to create a vision for your future.

Imagine the future. The first step in imagining the future is to gain clarity about who you want to be and what you want to accomplish. Do you want to be a better boss, someone who is highly respected? Perhaps you’re dreaming of landing a job that will take you to the next level as a leader. Or maybe you’re wishing to score your very first opportunity to lead people, a situation that will become a solid springboard for future opportunities. Once you have a good grasp on what success looks like for you, picture yourself as that successful you in the future. This would be the future version of you, who has accomplished your goals, feels in control of life, and has found personal and professional fulfillment. How would that make you feel? In your vision, you hopefully have feelings of joy, confidence, and satisfaction. Use the vision to unlock inspiration and provide direction for your leadership path.

In Summary: Truly knowing yourself is a foundation for positive change. The Disciplined Leader knows studying the past and present, especially with the frank cooperation of friends and colleagues, yields excellent insight into personal strengths and weaknesses. Creating a future vision of yourself—call that a long-term goal—will fuel personal transformation and growth.