In our last blog post, we explored the key skills and competencies that will be important for our future leaders in the coming years.  

This week, we are going to shift gears and dial into how to strengthen our self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) muscles as these are foundational to your success in all aspects of life.

In my line of work, we are constantly talking about this topic amongst many others, but we usually start here in our engagements, as leading self is foundational to being an effective leader. We must role model the appropriate thinking and behaviors for others to follow.  

We start by laying the foundation of what self-awareness and EQ means and then we keep layering on from there to set our leaders up for ongoing success. Leading others and being an influential leader follow and then we pivot to leading change initiatives, fostering an innovative and inclusive culture. We also use various tools within our practice to gather data and insights to help establish a comprehensive action plan that is customized based on an individual leader's strengths, areas of opportunity and blind spots. 

Why Are These Skills So Important?

Self-awareness and EQ are crucial for leaders in today's modern world for several reasons:

Effective Communication: Leaders need to effectively communicate their vision, goals, and expectations to their teams. Self-awareness helps them understand their own communication style and how it impacts others, while EQ allows them to empathize with their team members and tailor their communication accordingly.

Conflict Resolution: In any leadership role, conflicts are inevitable. Self-aware leaders can recognize their own role in conflicts and manage their emotions effectively. EQ enables them to understand the perspectives of others and resolve conflicts in a constructive manner, fostering a positive work environment.

Building Relationships: Strong relationships are the foundation of successful leadership. Self-aware leaders are better able to understand their own strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to build complementary teams. High EQ enables them to connect with others on a deeper level, fostering trust and loyalty.

Adaptability: In today's rapidly changing world, leaders must be adaptable and open to new ideas and perspectives. Self-awareness helps leaders recognize when their approaches are not effective and encourages them to seek feedback and make necessary adjustments. EQ enables them to navigate change with resilience and inspire confidence in their teams.

Decision Making: Leaders often face complex decisions with significant consequences. Self-awareness helps leaders understand their own biases and decision-making tendencies, allowing them to make more objective and strategic decisions. EQ enables them to consider the emotions and perspectives of others affected by their decisions, leading to more inclusive and productive outcomes.

Inspiring and Motivating Others: Effective leadership involves inspiring and motivating others to achieve shared goals. Self-aware leaders understand how their words and actions impact others, which enables them to inspire and motivate their teams effectively. High EQ allows them to empathize with their team members' emotions and provide support and encouragement when needed.

Now let’s explore how we can strengthen these muscles to help level up your leadership effectiveness.

Building Your Self-Awareness & EQ Muscles

There are a variety of approaches you can take and below we have provided a handful of ideas to help get started.

Seek Feedback: Actively solicit feedback from peers, team members, mentors, and trusted advisors. Encourage them to provide candid insights into your strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas where you may have blind spots.

Embrace Diversity: Surround yourself with individuals from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Diversity of thought can help uncover blind spots by challenging assumptions and offering alternative viewpoints.

Practice Reflective Thinking: Set aside time for self-reflection and introspection. Regularly review your actions, decisions, and interactions to identify patterns or tendencies that may indicate blind spots.

Intentionally Develop Emotional Intelligence: Cultivate emotional intelligence by enhancing your self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills. Being attuned to your emotions and those of others can help you recognize blind spots related to interpersonal dynamics and communication.

Challenge Assumptions: Question your assumptions and beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around you. Engage in critical thinking and be open to reconsidering your perspective as new ideas and information is provided to help expand your view of the world.  

Continuous Learning and Growth: Stay curious and commit to lifelong learning and personal development. Actively seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge, skills, and perspectives, which can help uncover areas of opportunity and foster growth.

Create a Culture of Openness: Foster a culture within your organization where open communication, transparency, and constructive feedback are valued and encouraged. Encourage team members to speak up and provide a safe space for dialogue and discussion.

By incorporating these strategies into your leadership approach, you can become more attuned to your strengths, areas of opportunity and blind spots which will assist in mitigating potential risks and enhance your overall effectiveness and success.

What Are Your Thoughts?

What are your thoughts on this topic? What else can you do to strengthen these muscles to take your leadership to the next level? We would love to hear from you! You can email me at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca or call 416-560-1806.