Know Yourself to Lead Yourself

The Power of Self-Awareness.

Leaders who fail to regularly and intentionally take time to better understand themselves and others are not the leaders who will bring out the best in themselves or their teams. After all, if we don’t know our own strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies under pressure and at work when interacting with others, how can we expect to avoid the pitfalls that sabotage our relational and leadership efforts?

There’s a tool from GiANT we use in our consulting and coaching practice called the “Know Yourself to Lead Yourself” tool. The infinity symbol in the diagram below represents the need for constant, continuous reflection on the components of behavior and consequence that shape our reality.

If we start at the bottom of the diagram and work our way around it counter-clockwise, we discover the process of how our actions and tendencies shape our reality. The interconnected nature of these relationships can be summarized below:

We all have tendencies that create patterns of actions and behavior which generate consequences that ultimately shape our current reality. Therefore, if we want to change our reality - if our leadership is struggling or our team is underperforming - we must find the tendencies that form the patterns of action which are generating the undesired consequences. Only by understanding the connection between these elements can we intentionally and accurately target the areas of growth and learning that will bring about the reality we desire for ourselves as well as those we lead.

With intentional reflection and targeted growth, we can become leaders worth following in every aspect of our lives. By committing to the continual process of Knowing Yourself to Lead Yourself, you’ll be able to consistently identify the traps and triggers that keep producing the undesired results in your life, thereby equipping you to change your reality.