Self Awareness: Second Stage In The Authentic Leadership Model

3. Self Awareness

This chapter focuses the second stage in the Authentic Leadership Model, namely self-awareness, see Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1: Second stage in the Authentic Leadership Model

3.1 Self awareness

Self awareness is having a deep understanding of one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs and drives. People with strong self-awareness are neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful. Rather they are honest with themselves and with others. Daniel Goleman (1998)

Many of us think we know our selves best, but we are wrong most of the times. How often do we past a negative remark and later regret by saying "I shouldn't have said that one”. To understand ourselves, it will be helpful to take a personal profile test

Ken Keis's Book,The Deliberate Leader(2014). I have known Ken a number of years and he has kindly consented for me to use the following information from his newly printed book "The Deliberate Leader". Dr. Ken Keis said “Only through the awareness of our own distinctiveness can we deliberately and purposefully lead for success." Leadership is about being self aware enough so that we can be purposefully wise, diplomatic and intentional with competence, embracing the values (and behaviours) of accountability, reliability and responsibility while being focused. Character and Competence are the primary determinants of credibility, with the intention being a part of character.

Ken in his book defined: "Credibility is your reputation" - to demonstrate the various characteristics and qualities of being honest, competent, visionary and the ability to inspire others from our point of view. Credible leaders are those perceived by followers as possessing these enduring qualities of trust and expertise. Trust is the foundational component of being credible, which in turn improves our abilities to influence others. Trusted leaders are more likely to be believed. Regarding of our level of expertise, if we are cannot be trusted by others, we cannot be a credible and effective

Your environment includes Time, People, Tasks and Situations. By exploring Personal Style preferences, we learn about the needs of others and how to approach those needs so that people feel understood and appreciated. This is the foundational self-awareness all leaders require to effectively influence and build credibility with others. When our behaviour as a leader meets and understands the needs of others, our credibility level rises. People begin to perceive us as someone who is not driven by self-centeredness, with little consideration or awareness of others.

Personal Style is not the same as personality. It is part of personality. The two are very much connected but not the same. Personal Style acts as an underlying base upon which other factors build. Like the deep foundation of a tall building that supports the rest of the structure, our Personal Style provides the basis for the way we prefer to engage with our environment.

The term natural predisposition means we are born with tendencies that form unchanging part of our personality-- a part that remains the same throughout our lives. Ken term this as Personal Style. This part of our personality dominates the way we think, which in turn determines the way we lead, follow and interact with