A mother crab tells her kid to walk straight with his toes pointed out after scolding him for going in the wrong direction. Yet when the boy asks the mother to demonstrate how to walk, she learns she can't walk straight and trips over her toes when she attempts to turn them out. The narrative illustrates how we frequently have exaggerated expectations of both ourselves and others without taking responsibility for our own shortcomings.

Nokia's failure is due to not willing to learn, improve and change. Source: Medium

Self-awareness development is essential for emotional intelligence and personal development. Benjamin Franklin is an excellent example of a person who understood the value of self-awareness and actively tried to better himself by documenting his accomplishments in a notebook of his top 13 virtues. Franklin found happiness and fulfillment by being truthful with himself and accepting his flaws.

Emotional intelligence is gaining importance in the modern world, since technical information can be easily provided by AI and technology. Emotional intelligence is built on self-awareness, which is crucial for positive personal development. In order to progress and strive toward being our best selves, it is critical to be honest and fair with ourselves and to recognize our flaws.

Source: Unsplash

Practices

The process of improving one's self-awareness is continual and necessitates continuing dedication and work. These are some strategies for brand and company executives to increase their self-awareness:

  • Seek feedback: To better understand your skills and limitations, seek input from mentors, customers, coworkers, and other professionals.
  • Consider your actions: Give yourself some time to think back on your conduct and choices, and pinpoint any areas where you might have done better.
  • Engage in mindfulness exercises: As part of your daily routine to help you become more conscious of your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
  • Hire a coach: Work with a coach or mentor who can offer direction and encouragement as you negotiate possibilities and obstacles.
  • Discover from others: Attend conferences and seminars, read leadership-related books and articles, and look for opportunities to shadow outstanding leaders.
  • Accept vulnerability: Be open to admitting your flaws and shortcomings and using them as a springboard for improvement.

Brand and company leaders may better understand their strengths and shortcomings and make decisions that will result in long-term success by gaining self-awareness.

Examples

  • Melinda Gates runs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with her ex-husband. She has always been very self-aware. In her book "The Moment of Lift," she talks about how she came to realize her own privilege as a white woman from a wealthy family and how that changed the way she did charity work. She also admits that she has made mistakes in the past. For example, she says that the Foundation's first plan to fight poverty in Africa was "naive and arrogant." This self-awareness let her change her approach and work more closely with local groups and communities to better understand their needs and priorities. Overall, Melinda Gates' self-awareness has not only made her a better leader, but it has also helped her learn and grow in her work to make the world a better place.
Source: Prime Potomac
  • Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, is another example of a strong female leader who knew a lot about herself. Nooyi knew early on in her career that she needed to improve how she talked to people, so she asked her colleagues and mentors for feedback. She worked hard to get over being shy and improve her communication skills, which helped her move up at PepsiCo and become the CEO. Nooyi also knew how important it was to have a good balance between work and life, so she set up policies at PepsiCo to help employees' well-being. For example, she gave employees the option to work from home and promoted healthy lifestyles. Her focus on sustainability and social responsibility showed that she was self-aware and wanted to make a difference beyond just the bottom line.
Source: Harvard Business Review
Source: Brands Vietnam