🧭 Cultural Compass #19
A round up of culture influencing my navigation of life: Self Awareness
Something a little different and new for
this month – a guest author of Cultural Compass! and I connected earlier this summer via a Substack collaborations thread, hosted by , and when Nia mentioned she’d authored a Leadership Compass, we were keen to explore how our compasses could align…Now the second time we’ve had a doctor in the house, what follows is an insightful exploration from Nia of three elements of her Knowing Self Knowing Others work, including a book, podcast, and interactive tool, to explore leadership through the lens of being more self-aware – or indeed self-awareness through the lens of being a better leader.
Now, you might be thinking, “gah, it’s August, I’m switched off and don’t want to be thinking about management strategies or career conversations!”, or even “well, I’m not a leader, so this doesn’t apply to me” – to which I would suggest, think again.
If you’re on a family holiday, are you perhaps leading the way with the itinerary, or packing the beach bag to ensure everyone has their books and the right factor of sun cream? Are you the leader in your friendship group, left to interact with the Airbnb host of your summer getaway? Are you planning a wedding, and leading what has become an ever-growing team of catering suppliers and flower arrangers?
Leadership comes in different shapes and sizes, and even if none of those less career-centric examples apply to you, if nothing else you are the leader of your own life, and, if I may say so, a little introspection to boost our self-awareness can only be a good thing. Plus, as we’ve explored through the Career Compass column, the leaders we are surrounded by can have a big impact on us too, positively and otherwise.
Preamble over, I will leave you in the capable hands of
, who having spent 25 years working in the public sector across local government, the NHS, civil service, and in the last few years, charitable sector in Wales and England, is on a mission to,“develop self-aware leaders to create kinder, more respectful and creative working relationships through reflection, recognition and regulation.”
And if that wasn’t enough, she is also a fellow Welsh woman, at one time having lived, as it serendipitously turns out, mere minutes down the road from where I grew up! Compasses aligning indeed.
Read more from by subscribing to .
📖 The Self-Awareness Superhighway
My book, The Self-Awareness Superhighway, is a comprehensive guide designed to help you navigate the complex terrain of self-aware leadership. It’s dedicated to those aspiring to improve their leadership and management practices and will also resonate with people who have experienced poor leadership and are motivated to be better leaders themselves.
The book is structured into three parts, each providing unique insights, practical tools, and guiding principles for leaders at all levels of an organisation and at any stage of their journey.
Part 1: Why Are You Here, Traveller?
This section lays the groundwork for understanding the critical importance of self-awareness in leadership. I aim to offer a novel approach to self-awareness with my three-layer definition: reflection of hard and relational skills, recognition of your impact, and regulation of your behaviour. By integrating these layers with core leadership principles, I aim to provide a comprehensive framework that goes beyond traditional approaches.
I explore the complexities of leader effectiveness and the significance of leadership at various levels. The focus of Part 1 is defining self-awareness and explaining why it is essential not just for leaders but for anyone looking to make a meaningful impact. This part sets the stage for the journey ahead, encouraging you to reflect on your motivations and the broader implications of your leadership style.
Part 2: Where Are You Going?
In this part, I introduce the concept of the self-awareness compass, structured around nine key directions such as care, trust and listening, encapsulated in the mnemonic ‘CHARTABLE’.
Each direction is explored in detail, providing a roadmap for personal and professional growth. The purpose of the Compass is to equip you with the knowledge to navigate your path effectively, recognising the enablers and obstacles you might encounter. I share examples that I’ve experiences during my 25 years in the world of work and those from my podcast guests (more on that later!).
Part 2 not only maps out these directions but also identifies potential roadblocks and signposts that can either hinder or enable your journey. One of the most intriguing discoveries from my research challenges existing academic opinions. Contrary to existing literature, which suggests that senior leaders have higher levels of self-awareness, my findings reveal the opposite. I call this phenomenon ‘strategic level disconnect’, where senior leaders often lose touch with the operational realities of their organisations, resulting in disjointed and impractical ideas.
Part 3: How Will You Get There?
The final section is a treasure trove of tools and techniques designed to help you develop and refine your self-awareness skills. From mindfulness and journaling to coaching and 360-degree assessments, I provide a variety of methods to suit different preferences and contexts. Each tool is explained in detail, with guidance on how to integrate these practices into your daily routine. This part is about empowerment, giving you the practical means to enhance your self-awareness and, by extension, your leadership effectiveness. The emphasis is on continuous improvement and the realisation that self-awareness is an ongoing journey rather than a destination.
Notice, I never say a journey to self-awareness, it’s always the journey ‘of’ self-awareness.
In summary, The Self-Awareness Superhighway is a valuable resource for leaders seeking to embark on or continue their journey towards greater self-awareness and effective leadership. Through its structured approach, practical tools, and fresh insights, the book offers a comprehensive guide to developing the self-awareness necessary for successful leadership in today's complex world. Whether you are a seasoned executive or a new manager, this book provides valuable insights and practical advice to enhance your leadership skills. It is particularly beneficial for those who have been led by poor leaders and are determined to set a better example.
🧭 The Self-Aware Leadership Compass
Through my research, both quantitative and qualitative, some clear themes emerged about what equates to effective leadership, through the lens of self-awareness. The themes have been reinforced many times since, in my conversations with my podcast guests. The purpose of the Compass is to take those themes from academia and make them relevant to you in the workplace, where they can influence development plans, both yours and your team, and enlighten the heavy culture.1
The nine directions are…
🔴 CARE is about empathy and respect, appreciating the human aspects of the lives of your colleagues. It doesn’t mean shying away from having difficult conversations thought. Those who care are also courageous, kind, respectful and brave.
🟠 HUMILITY is about letting others’ light shine, supporting them to step forward, nurturing them to flourish and reach their potential. It’s also about being open when you don’t know the answers, and is inextricably linked to vulnerability.
🟡 AUTHENTICITY is about living your values, beliefs and priorities with integrity. It’s not about inappropriate behaviour that doesn’t suit the situation. It’s about making conscious decisions about who the professional ‘you’ really is.
🔴 REFLECTION is about giving yourself the opportunity to respond rather than react, so you can grow and become the best version of yourself. Reflection is inherent in the definition of self-aware leadership and it’s also a practice that you have to invest time and energy into, to really reap the benefits.
🟡 TRUST is in the eye of the beholder, or maybe more appropriately, the heart. You can’t decide to be trustworthy, you can only behave with kindness and consistency, and all of the above. Others will ultimately make the decision whether you are trustworthy, and trust and follow you.
🟡 ADAPTABILITY means responding with openness, flexibility and a growth mindset to the changing demands of your role and the changing needs of your people. It’s about looking forward and being ready to grasp an opportunity.
🔴 BEHAVIOUR is specifically about modelling the behaviour you expect to see in your organisation. It’s about visibly rewarding the behaviour of those who live the values you espouse and proactively preventing the behaviours you will not tolerate.
🟡 LISTENING is about giving voice to the quieter and marginalised people in your organisations to ensure everyone is heard. It’s about creating environments where people can be heard.
🟡 And finally EXPERIENCE is both about learning from your experiences and sharing what you know with others to nurture their growth and development. Experiential learning reinforces the message that self-aware leadership is an activity not a passivity.
🎧 The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast
What better way to raise awareness of awareness than to discuss it with thinkers from around the globe! My podcast aims to generate kinder, more respectful and creative working relationships through reflection, recognition and regulation, i.e., through the lens of self-aware leadership. It’s an interview series with psychologists, senior medical leadership, CEOs, academics, coaches, behaviour experts, authors and people managers, to name but a few.
My guests and I talk through some thought-provoking issues, share interesting insights, hear some eye-opening stories and unearth some controversial opinions! The conversations are rich and the insights enlightening. It explores themes related to organisational culture, interpersonal relationships, and emotional intelligence. Our topics have ranged from happiness, to bullying and harassment, agile management practices, mindfulness, imposter syndrome, introversion, coaching, people management, psychological safety and more - all explored through the lens of self-aware leadership.
“…why I focus on civility and respect is because it helps to draw attention to low level or low intensity poor behaviours where the intent to cause harm is not that clear… and which we tend to sort of overlook.” Radhika Nair, Episode 64
The podcast aims to help listeners gain a deeper understanding of themselves and how they interact with others, and how as leaders, they can affect change in their organisations to make them more people centred, human places to work. Listeners and watchers can gain valuable insights and tools to apply in their daily work lives.
The most listened to episode is Episode 7 with Alison Lagier, where we talk about reflection in clinical practice, power and impact, unofficial influencers and the need to engage everybody.
The podcast will be 2 years old in September 2024 and my goal is to continue podcasting and to achieve 1,000 listens per episode. Your help in sharing the podcast to spread awareness of awareness is very much valued!
Thank you Nia for sharing your insights around the Self-Awareness Compass, and all the accompanying resources!
And whether you’re reading at home, on your commute, or on a sun lounger, why not dive in and begin your own self-awareness journey though a quiz based on Nia’s work?
If you liked this piece and would like to show some support without a paid subscription, a Ko-fi coffee is always appreciated.☕
Hear more about this topic on the The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast, Episode 72 with
.
Loved writing this. Great opportunity to connect with you Laura and share some ideas with your subscribers! Thanks for the invitation!!
Love this. Can tell you now, there are a lot of public sector leaders who could be doing with this nature of mentorship - often bewilders me how they get into post without it.