Leadership capacity and self-awareness go hand in hand. The capacity of a good leader can be determined by his/her levels of self-awareness. This holds true in all successful leadership styles. Forbes has the scoop on why this is so.
Leadership Capacity: An Examined Mind
I’ve been interested in identifying the fundamental capacities of character, habit and cognition that every leader must have. My search led me to a remarkable document, the Army Field Manual on Leader Development. It was striking to me that the Army places great emphasis on self-awareness as a core leadership capacity, essential to thinking, communicating and professional development.
Almost everyone finds a leader to be an intriguing subject. Think about it. There are several online articles talking about what a leader’s day is like, what his/her success story is, and what qualities make him/her a great leader.
Leaders serve as inspirations. Everyone wants to learn from them in order to become a great leader in the future.
What Happens When You Don’t Have Self-Awareness?
A leader would fail without self-awareness. It’s necessary because it’s what helps leaders make the right decisions. Self-awareness spans in areas of ideation, communication, and professional development.
Leaders need self-awareness because it tells them their personal strengths and weaknesses. It shows them the gray areas in which their personal and professional selves intertwine. Situations can turn emotional at times. It’s important for leaders to stay level-headed in these said instances. After all, their decisions may impact the very company or society they’ve worked so hard to build.
Self-regulation would also be in despair without self-awareness. Leaders have to understand that an overabundance can be unhealthy. For example, just because s/he is successful in his ventures doesn’t mean that s/he can spend millions every day. It’s important to practice moderation in all things. With moderation, comes self-control.
In addition to this, self-awareness provides leaders with a sense of direction. These frontrunners become aware of their goals when they have self-awareness. They know the different steps they can take to attain their dreams. They know their plan As, plan Bs, and plan Cs. These leaders also use obstacles as a chance for reflection and analysis. They then use what they’ve learned to better themselves in dealing with potential problems in the future.
What It Takes to Have Leadership Capacity
Great leaders don’t tell you what to do… they show you how its done.#quotes #leadership #inspiration pic.twitter.com/S7YdtzwDeN
— ActionComplete (@ActionComplete) October 5, 2017
Yes, being a leader is not an easy job. Then again, if it were an easy job, it wouldn’t be called leadership anymore. However, as challenging as it may be, there is one important thing to remember. Everyone has leadership capacity. The truth is, anyone can be a leader. All people have to do is constantly work hard and persevere. After all, leaders don’t always happen to be the smartest people in a room. They just have to be the most hardworking ones.
Want to know more about unlocking your leadership capacity? Press play on the video below:
What are other traits important to be a leader? Share them with us in the comment section below.