Know Thyself

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It seems self-evident that leaders benefit from being self-aware, but what does that really mean? What exactly should you know about yourself? In my coaching practice with physician executives, I have found ten aspects of self-awareness that I believe are critical for every successful executive who wants to be maximally impactful.

1. Know your values

Your values should be what you rely upon when you need to make your most challenging decisions. Effectively communicating your values can also help you inspire others to follow you. To learn clients’ values, I listen carefully as they discuss what matters to them most. I then confirm my interpretation with them and clarify further. This process results in clients not only becoming aware of their values, but it also provides them with a way to articulate their values in a deep and meaningful way.

2. Know your emotions

Sometimes, people do not fully appreciate their emotions. They might claim to not be angry, but their tone of voice says otherwise. Or they might say they do not care what a particular person thinks as they complain about that person being unfair. Potentially, this disconnect can lead people to act in ways that are not consistent with what really matters to them. As a coach, I sometimes point out perceived emotional discrepancies. The client can then decide if they agree, and if they do, they can then approach their challenges more realistically. Notice that the goal for understanding emotions is not necessarily to eliminate emotions. There is value in all emotions, and we have the right to feel what we feel.  Rather, we should avoid emotional reactions that are not in our best interest.

3. Know your style

We all approach life and work differently, and knowing our preferred styles helps us understand what we need to do to be most effective. Once we understand our own styles, we can better appreciate how others have distinctive styles that lead them to approach situations in ways that might not at first make sense to us. There are several good survey assessments tools designed for understanding different aspects of style (personality, interests, learning or work preferences, etc.), and many executive coaches use these tools to initiate coaching.  While assessments can provide a foundation for coaching, clients’ styles can also become clear through the stories they tell as they describe how they approach their challenges and their work. There are clients who prefer not to take the formal assessments, and in those cases, I have found that learning their styles through discussions can be adequate.

4. Know your unique strengths

Knowing our strengths enables us to plan how to be most effective. Our greatest strength may also lead us to better understand our greatest weaknesses. However, some strengths are easier to appreciate than others. We might even take a strength for granted when it feels completely natural to us. There are formal surveys to assess strengths (e.g. Clifton Strength Finders or VIA Character Strengths Survey), but I prefer to learn client’s strengths by talking with them.  Through their stories, and by the way they describe their roles in overcoming obstacles, their unique strengths become evident. I can then discuss with clients how they can better utilize their strengths. Potentially, we can also rehearse ways to describe their strengths to others. Knowing how to talk about your strengths can be particularly useful if you have an upcoming job interview.

5. Know your reality

One role of an executive coach is to help clients deal with their realities. Sometimes, clients avoid acknowledging problems that are in front of them (the proverbial ‘elephant in the room). Or they might make themselves too busy to even think about what might appear to be an unsolvable problem. Not addressing a problem will not make it go away and procrastination will eventually force you to deal with a bigger problem. Dealing with problems is not always easy, but recognizing a problem is usually better than simply ignoring it.

6. Know how you spend your time

Many clients find it enlightening to review their calendar and see how much time they are spending on different activities. There is often a mismatch between what they say is important and how they spend their time. Not spending time on what matters most is a lost opportunity that can prevent people from not achieving their full potential. We all can (and should) critically review our own calendars, but some clients find it helpful to do so with a coach who challenges them to focus their time on their priorities.

7. Know your limits

While knowing your limits and setting realistic goals is important to success, it is also important to avoid false limits that prevent you from attempting new challenges. I tend to worry less about determining a client’s theoretical limits, and more about how to encourage safe ways of trying new things. If a challenge is meaningful, it is worth stepping beyond your comfort zone. The question then becomes how to do so while controlling risks. Overcoming new challenges is a great way to discover that your limits are beyond what you might have previously thought.

8. Know the affect you have on others

Knowing the impression you make is critical for being able to effectively work with others. We can guess how we affect others, but other people know their perceptions better than we do. There are formal survey tools for this, but if time and resources permit, I prefer to interview clients’ colleagues as part of a comprehensive verbal 360. This allows me to hear the rich stories that people provide, and I also find it valuable to be able to ask follow-up questions. I then communicate perceived patterns to the client without mentioning who said what.

9. Know your optimal work environment

We all have environments that work best for us, and my clients are experienced professionals who have a sense for the conditions under which they work best. All of us accomplish more in our productive (non-distracting) environments. However, many leaders do not seem to give enough attention to their ability to craft their environments. Sometimes, jobs require people to tolerate poor conditions, but other times, people are simply getting what they tolerate. It is worth a discussion to consider what might be possible.

10. Know what brings you joy

“If you can find work that you love, you will never have to work another day in your life” (attributed to several different authors).

We all have aspects of our work that are rewarding and others that are not. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend more time on what we most enjoy? We have one life to live, and most of that is spent at work. We might as well try to enjoy our time there. Besides, people who enjoy their work have more energy to achieve more. I enjoy strategizing with clients on how to increase the amount of time they spend on what they enjoy most (or might enjoy within a different organization).

 

To be successful, it is critical to understand what is most important to your success: you.

“The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervenor.”

Bill O’Brien (Former CEO of Hanover Insurance)

It is so simple, but it is not easy. We are all infinitely complex, and the journey of self-discovery is a lifelong process. Leaders who challenge themselves with ambitious goals will learn from their successes and failures. Our experiences teach us who we are, what we like, what works for us, and what are our capabilities. However, you can learn faster and more completely if you take the time to reflect on your experiences. In our fast-paced world, it is too easy to go from crises to crises without investing in your own learning and personal growth. An executive coach can provide a safe sanctuary for this important work and help you realize insights needed for you to reach your full potential. I wish you the best in your learning as you stretch to make your desired impact.

About the Author:

Dr. Brown is a certified executive coach (Center For Executive Coaching) and Chief Medical Officer at Acesis, Inc. For the 12 years prior to joining Acesis in 2014, Michael was the Chief Information Officer for Harvard University Health Services. He was also an instructor at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health for 8 years after graduating from their Masters in Healthcare Management program in 2007.