Through a systematic literature review and research, I sought to get to grips with what exactly the construct is and how it differs from self-knowledge and self-consciousness.  It is a complex construct complicated by the fact that the individual elements of ‘self’ and ‘awareness’ have a multiplicity of definitions.  The literature review revealed that the construct is multi-layered made up of several components, which can be divided into intra- and inter-personal elements.  The inter-personal elements comprise of those which can be observed by another person and include perception of others and behaviours.  This of course means we need to attain feedback from others when we are developing self-awareness.  This is fraught with difficulty as we tend to ‘filter out’ what we may not want to see or hear, so this means that developing self-awareness and knowing that one has developed it accurately is a real challenge.  The intra-personal elements include beliefs and values, internal mental state, physiological responses, strengths and weaknesses, motivations and needs.  In sum, self-awareness can be defined as:

“Self-awareness consists of a range of interpersonal (the perception of others and individual behaviours) and intrapersonal components (beliefs, values, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, internal mental state and physiological responses) in order to develop self and human connection with others.”

In terms of differentiating self-awareness from self-consciousness and self-knowledge, it was identified that self-consciousness is the intra-personal components of self-awareness, whereas self-knowledge is the output of self-awareness i.e., self -awareness gives us self-knowledge of our biases, prejudices, responses, needs and wants.  It is this self-knowledge that can then help us develop deeper connection with self, which is an essential pre-requisite for developing connection with those around us.   This is perhaps why it is linked to increasing leadership effectiveness.  However, developing self-awareness is an ongoing journey which requires motivation, commitment, and effort.

If you want to read more please have a look at the published systematic literature review (Carden, J., Jones, R.J. and Passmore, J., 2022. Defining self-awareness in the context of adult development: a systematic literature review. Journal of Management Education, 46(1), pp.140-177).

Julia Carden is an Executive Coach and Coach Supervisor. Alongside Julia’s coaching and supervision practice she is a visiting tutor at Henley Business School teaching on the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, MSc in Executive Coaching and Behavioural Change and heads up the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision.

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Increased Empathy leads to a Better Understanding of Employees

Leaders who possess high EI levels are empathetic, meaning they can understand the feelings and behaviours of their employees. Empathetic leaders are consistent in connecting and communicating with their employees. They also show appreciation towards their employees’ efforts which can ultimately lead to greater job satisfaction. This emotional support helps employees feel more included and motivated to achieve common objectives.

Emotional Intelligence Can Aid in Conflict Resolution

Conflict in the workplace can affect productivity and morale. Effective leaders have to manage and resolve any issues within the workforce promptly and effectively. By taking a step back and evaluating one’s emotions, a leader can approach the issue objectively, consider all parties, and find a resolution that benefits everyone. Emotional intelligence is all about managing one’s emotions and behaviours in response to these emotions, and conflict resolution can be one of the most challenging scenarios but handled well, will have a great impact on the team’s work environment.

Better Self-Awareness Leads to Self-Improvement

A leader’s self-awareness can vastly improve their performance and leadership style. By understanding one’s emotions and how they can affect their behaviour and decision-making, leaders can monitor these emotions and avoid showing signs of negative behaviour such as anger outbursts or frustration when faced with difficult situations. Having self-awareness and regulating one’s emotions can create a calm and receptive work environment leading to increased team productivity and success.

Emotional Intelligence Creates Strong Relationships

Relationships are based on mutual trust and respect. Leaders who display high levels of emotion intelligence skills foster stronger relationships with employees, which can lead to better teamwork, higher motivation, and a more productive workforce. By using empathy and understanding towards employees, a leader can build trust, communicate more effectively, and create a safe and inclusive workplace for all.

Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Benefit Organisations

Emotional intelligence leads to a better understanding of their workforce which benefits the overall business. Leaders who focus on the workforce and their team’s emotional well-being see improved employee engagement and retention reducing employee turnover, recruitment costs, and time to productivity. In turn, this creates a more efficient and effective business model, resulting in improved business success.

Emotional intelligence is key to effective leadership. Developing an EI mindset, including self-awareness, empathy, and managing emotions, will benefit both leaders and their team. Leaders who understand the significance of Emotional intelligence and embed those skills into their management approach, will see increased productivity and a more engaged workforce leading to a more prosperous business. Developing emotional intelligence takes time, and leaders who invest in it now will undoubtedly benefit from its great rewards. HR leaders and internal coaches can provide training and support to their employees to build emotional intelligence training to develop their future leaders and teams.

Read more leadership blogs: Crisis Management: Essential Skills for Every Business Leader, Leading with Agility: How Agile Methodologies Can Transform Leadership, Managing The Remote Workforce

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However, if your mental health is affected and your career is impeded then it’s time to step back and take action to create a more helpful way of thinking and feeling.

The term used to describe this condition is ‘imposter syndrome’. The official definition describes it as “‘high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalise their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud’.”

How do you identify and manage imposter syndrome?

These are some indications of a need to take action:

• A pattern of overworking due to fears of being seen as deficient
• Feeling incompetent and believing that you will be exposed as a fraud
• Avoidance of activities for fear of failure
• Constantly being a perfectionist and going to extreme lengths to avoid mistakes
• Attributing successes to luck rather than experience and skills
• Inability to take in positive feedback or acknowledge achievements
• Being consumed with self-defeating and negative thoughts
• Inability to find pleasure in work and always focusing on the next goal

Fear of taking risks is one of the most damaging effects of this syndrome. The feeling of being a fraud can affect quality of thinking and problem solving, willingness to innovate and ability to manage due to having higher expectations of others so as to protect against appearing personally deficient.

This neurotic imposture causes many talented, hardworking, and capable leaders who have achieved great things to believe that they don’t deserve their success. For example, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, declared in her book ‘Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead’ that she could sit in a room and believe that people saw her as a fraud, that she was not good enough to be there. Neurotic impostors can be found at all levels of an organization.

The following are actions which you can take to change the way you think about yourself:

• Challenge the imposter voice in your head and look for the evidence to set against your worries and fears – thoughts aren’t facts
• Replace your self-critical voice with a more compassionate and accepting one
• Focus on the positive and learn to see everything in context by looking at the true story of your life rather than the tiny percentage of it which you’re unhappy with
• Recognise what it is to be human and that what you are experiencing is normal
• Don’t expect to feel happy every day, no one has it together all of the time – all emotions are normal and they are all necessary and useful to us
• Embrace your vulnerability, that it’s OK not to know and recognise that being an adult is an endless journey of figuring out how to be an adult
• What you do every day makes a difference and the choices that you make play a huge part in how you feel, so face your fears – pull back from overwork and see if it makes a difference
• Perfectionism can be dealt with by recognising that uncertainty and the potential for failure are essential traits in all levels of work
• Remember that social media is mostly an airbrushed version of reality – avoid looking at it if you’re not feeling great
• Life is an adventure, not a race – enjoy the process rather than overly focusing on your goals

Remember that our fears never leave us entirely and they can surface at any time, but we can learn to manage imposter syndrome more effectively rather than being driven by them. Knowing this is understanding what it means to be human and fallible.

Whilst practising the actions above will help, working one to one with a trusted other, such as a coach, is a much more effective way of expediting the changes you want to obtain, whilst making the process easier and more enjoyable.

Nick Harris is an ICF Master Certified executive coach with 3,500 hours of one to one coaching experience. He specialises in supporting people to maximise their personal and professional performance, whether focused around business, career or life coaching. He has guided hundreds of clients through difficult transitions and challenges in order to achieve the outcomes and fulfilment that they want. He aims to make the coaching process enjoyable and fun whilst creating a context of rich personal learning, to enable his clients to improve their confidence and re-motivate themselves to identify and achieve their personal and career goals.

Image by 23 Code Street from Medium

Read more blogs about Emotional Intelligence – Feelings matter; how well do you connect with yours?

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