4 Steps to Increase Your Self-Awareness
You think you're influential. Most leaders do. But here's a reality check: although 95% of people think they're self-aware, only 10 to 15% actually are. That gap between how you see yourself and how others experience you? That's what's sabotaging your influence.
Self-awareness isn't about navel-gazing. It's about understanding the gap between your intent and your impact. Without it, you're operating blind. Here's how to raise your awareness and become the leader you think you already are:
Ask for Honest Feedback—Then Actually Listen
Stop surrounding yourself with people who only tell you what you want to hear. Seek out feedback from colleagues, direct reports, and mentors who will be brutally honest about how you show up. Then resist the urge to defend yourself. Just listen.
Record Yourself
Watch yourself on video. Listen to yourself on audio. Pay attention to your eye contact, your gestures, your filler words. Most people are shocked when they see themselves as others do. This awareness is the first step toward change.
Identify Your Triggers
What situations cause you to lose your composure? When do you get defensive? Start tracking patterns. Once you know what sets you off, you can prepare and respond intentionally instead of reactively.
Practice Consistently
Self-awareness isn't a one-time exercise. It requires daily discipline. Pay attention to how you communicate in every interaction—not just when the stakes are high. Monday to Monday consistency is what builds influence.
Stop assuming you know how others perceive you. The gap between perception and reality is costing you credibility, trust, and influence. Close that gap through deliberate practice and honest self-assessment. Your leadership depends on it.
