Have you ever met a leader who is so blissfully unaware?
A leader who perceives themselves to be a transformational leader who is in touch with the people, but in actual fact nothing could be further from the truth.
A leader who is no longer aware of the truth behind their actions who thinks they are making decisions that will benefit the organisation, but in reality are making personal decisions.
This unaware leader loses perspective, loses trust and respect.
Yes, you have met them, “that leader”, the one who is quick to highlight and criticise the flaws of others, but handles critical feedback incredibly poorly.
In fact, I would like to propose that we have all met “that leader”. I would go even further and boldly suggest that at one time or another we have all been, or still are, that blissfully unaware leader.
An accurate assessment of your own level of self-awareness takes intention and vulnerability.
The research is in, and the results are surprising. Leaders of today are not nearly as self-aware as they think they are, with 95% calling themselves self-aware in a world where just around 10-15% of them actually are.
- Cross Border Traders approach more banks for Master Cards
- Hebrew scriptures: The Not-So-Dead Sea scrolls
- Hebrew scriptures: The Not-So-Dead Sea scrolls
- Payment disputes affect land developers
Keep Reading
Defined as the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives and desires, self-awareness is the nutritional powerhouse of 21st Century leadership.
Lack of self-awareness represents a staggering gap between what our leaders believe and what reality is.
Here’s the question: Are you in the 95% who think they are self-aware but are not, or the 15% who truly are? How do you even know?
These questions are important because leaders who are not self-aware are six times more likely to derail their leadership and their careers.
We don’t need leaders who are martyrs, saviours or superheroes.
The truth is that, we are still clinging to a myriad of mythology around leadership. Leaders in the 21st Century are expected to be collaborative but decisive, humble but bold, fearless but emotionally vulnerable, creative but laser-focused, kind but fierce .
While our words may say differently, oftentimes we actually expect leaders to act as martyrs, saviours, superheroes. It’s time for all of us to let go of that mythology and talk about authentic, self aware leadership.
Let us be honest, even in a post colonial Africa, we are still working to shed off white supremacy thinking about leadership.
Our culture has deeply ingrained leadership myths of exceptionalism and perfectionism.
Exceptionalism is manifested in the belief that leaders are somehow rare and superior human beings, endowed with qualities not found in the majority of our people.
This sense of the extraordinary means that we leaders often hold ourselves to unreasonable standards of perfectionism.
While many leaders believe that perfectionism is a personality trait that drives them to excel, it is actually a learned behaviour which can take a damaging toll on our minds and bodies.
When perfectionism takes its inevitable toll and pushes us to the edge of our resilience, these culturally ingrained notions of leaders as saviours and superheroes can also fuel expectations of extreme self-sacrifice or martyrdom.
While this may seem heroic, it is unsustainable and sacrifices long-term health and wellness for short-term gains.
Even when we consciously embrace concepts of shared leadership, self-care, and sustainability, we may still subconsciously follow leadership myths in our habits and organisational culture.
This makes it even more difficult and confusing for leaders to figure out how to show up and lead.
What is really needed in our leaders is authentic self-awareness. Authentic self aware leaders reject the myth of the charismatic, natural-born leader and superhero.
Instead, they understand that leadership requires deep honesty, constant reflection, the courage to experiment and fail, and the ability to continuously integrate new learning in order to grow as individuals and as leaders.
These abilities help leaders transform their mistakes and shortcomings into significant leadership growth opportunities.
Moreover, by modelling this type of reflective leadership stance, they inspire and encourage the same behaviours in the people around them, creating a multiplier effect.
This synergy creates high-impact, innovative organisations and communities.
What is the bottom line? We really don’t need martyrs, saviours, superheroes, we just need leaders who are authentic and are self aware.
We often think of self-awareness as nothing more than an internal mental exercise: I know my strengths and weaknesses, so I am self-aware.
While it takes introspection to understand ourselves, these internal assessments paint an incomplete picture.
True self-awareness requires both an external and an internal perspective. If we only have one of the two views, we only have half the truth.
To be self aware, we must be able to lead within, these are leadership behaviours including understanding one’s individual strengths and weaknesses, but also personal mission, character and disciplines to use that self-awareness for a specific purpose.
No one knows you as well as you know yourself, but building a deeper understanding of yourself takes time, effort, and practice.
The goal is to gain a deep understanding of how to lead yourself as effectively as possible. To be truly self aware one must also build external self-awareness, these are leadership behaviours that focus on others, employing others around you to resolve blind spots. Do people feel comfortable giving you candid feedback?
As leaders move up in an organisation, it becomes riskier for others to give them candid feedback on how they are doing. Without an encouraging and trust-filled environment, the easy decision is just to keep quiet about anything that is not working with a leader’s style.
While it is easy to say that we have a network of trusted confidants who will tell us like it is, is this true? Who disagreed with you recently about a decision you were 100% committed to making? Who changed your mind unexpectedly about something?
Who shared feedback with you that got your attention or surprised you? Not as many as you thought, right? We really are not as self aware as we think we are.
While it may seem daunting, the process of becoming more self-aware opens up the possibility for change, and growth and enables leaders to act more authentically, with confidence, compassion, and integrity.
Successful leaders all strive to understand themselves and actively build a reflective leadership practice.
It is this essential practice that fosters an extraordinary level of integrity, self-knowledge, and principled action. Leadership is a set of skills, and like most other things in life, leadership skills can be honed through meaningful practice.
That is why leadership reflection is so essential; the more you know yourself as a leader, the greater your ability to grow and act from a place of integrity and authenticity, creating a solid foundation for success even in a dynamic and challenging 21st Century world.
Unopa Makanyanga is the director of Harambe Trust, an organisation which focuses on transformational leadership development. With diverse expertise in facilitation for leadership transformation, she is deeply passionate about developing leadership competence and acumen in Africa. She is a member of the International Leadership Association and 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow. You may contact her at: [email protected] or +263773012096
*These weekly articles are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge, an independent consultant, past president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society and past president of the Chartered Governance & Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe . Email – [email protected] and Mobile No. +263 772 382 852
