SELF-AWARENESS

References: A Manager’s Guide to Human Behavior by Matthew Reis and Judith Geller, American Management Association, 2010. Educational Leadership and Management: Developing Insights and Skills by Marianne Coleman and Derek Glover, Open University Press, 2010.

OVERVIEW Definition of Terms Importance of Self Awareness Gaining Realistic view of yourself Johari Window 5 steps in Achieving Change

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.” Tao Te Ching

Self Awareness Capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals. Is about recognizing our abilities, personality type, and preferences. Knowing our strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and “hot buttons.”

Importance of Self Awareness Skill Development reveal a skills gap that one needs to work on helps one decide on what should be done to improve Knowing strengths and weaknesses helps exploit strengths and cope with weaknesses Developing intuitive decision-making skills Leaders with well-developed emotional self-awareness are more effective intuitive decision makers

Importance of Self Awareness Stress Jobs, tasks or situations that don't suit one’s personality tend to give more stress than those that are more compatible. Motivation reveal where the performance problems are and indicate what can be done to improve performance awareness of your psychological needs can increase your motivation by helping you understand and seek out the rewards that you really desire Leadership knowing how to motivate yourself is tantamount to knowing how to motivate others

Gaining a realistic view of yourself A realistic view of our strengths and weaknesses is necessary to develop an accurate self-perception and determine where to focus our improvement efforts. Self-perception – is to develop self-awareness, it is critical to have accurate view of yourself. There is a framework designed from the Johari Window to help us achieving that view.

JOHARI Window A communication model that is used to improve understanding between individuals. Taken from the names of Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, who developed the model in 1955. Two key ideas behind the tool: That you can build trust with others by disclosing information about yourself. That, with the help of feedback from others, you can learn about yourself and come to terms with personal issues.

JOHARI Window KNOWN TO SELF NOT KNOWN TO SELF KNOWN TO OTHERS OPEN BLIND HIDDEN UNKNOWN KNOWN TO OTHERS NOT KNOWN TO OTHERS

JOHARI REGION 1 OPEN SELF or FREE AREA or PUBLIC AREA Known to self and known to others Traits that are out in the open. ‘Open' window should ideally be as large as possible Where we are most productive or constructive. Where there is a higher level of trust and good communication Includes your behavior, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and "public" history.

JOHARI REGION 2 'BLIND SELF' or 'BLIND AREA' or 'BLINDSPOT’ Unknown to self but known to others Includes simple information that you do not know, or it can involve deep issues which are often difficult for individuals to face directly, and yet can be seen by others.

JOHARI REGION 3 'HIDDEN SELF' or 'HIDDEN AREA' or 'FACADE' Known to ourselves but kept hidden from, and therefore unknown, to others. Feelings, talents, information (secrets), fears or anything that a person does not make known to others. We all have secrets; just be sure it's not holding you back in some way.

JOHARI REGION 4 UNKNOWN AREA Unknown to the person him/herself and unknown to others in the group. Represents the opportunity to explore new ideas about yourself. Hidden abilities or skills. Repressed feelings, unknown fears, behavior conditioned since you were a child

End Goal of the Johari Window KNOWN TO SELF NOT KNOWN TO SELF ASK OPEN BLIND HIDDEN UNKNOWN FEEDBACK KNOWN TO OTHERS REVELATION TE L L NOT KNOWN TO OTHERS DISCLOSURE

End Goal of the Johari Window To enlarge the Open Area, without disclosing information that is too personal. The more your people know about each other, the more productive, cooperative, and effective they'll be when working together.

End Goal of the Johari Window Disclosure intentional sharing of personal information about oneself. the more you (sensibly) open up and disclose your thoughts, feelings, dreams, and goals, the more you're going to build trust with your team Try to avoid "over-sharing" in your self-disclosure. Disclosing small, harmless items builds trust, however, avoid disclosing personal information which could damage people's respect for you.

End Goal of the Johari Window Revelation Refers to the slips of tongue or sudden illuminations which reveal something about our SELF which we did not know before.

End Goal of the Johari Window Feedback Attempt by others to help us to open up the Blind area of our SELF. If offered effectively and responsibly, it can help us learn about our effect on others, as well as help develop our own knowledge of SELF, our identity and style of interaction. Be careful in the way you give feedback. Some cultures have a very open and accepting approach to feedback, but others don't. You can cause incredible offense if you offer personal feedback to someone who's not used to it, so be sensitive, and start gradually.

How to Give Feedback Try to make it a positive process and experience. The purpose for giving feedback is to improve the situation or performance. Use negativity and anger sparingly. Be timely. The closer to the event you address the issue, the better. For highly emotional situations, wait until everyone has calmed down before you engage in feedback Make it regular. Feedback is a process that requires constant attention. Prepare Your Comments. Helps you stay on track and stick to the issues.

How to Give Feedback Be Specific. Criticize in Private. Tell the person exactly what they need to improve on. Remember to stick to what you know first hand Always discuss the direct impact of the behavior and don't get personal or seek to blame. Criticize in Private. While public recognition is appreciated, public scrutiny is not. Establish a safe place to talk where you won't be interrupted or overheard. Use "I" Statements. Give the feedback from your perspective. This way you avoid labelling the person.

How to Give Feedback Limit your focus. Talk about Positives Too. A feedback session should discuss no more than two issues. Any more than that and you risk the person feeling attacked and demoralized. You should also stick to behaviours the person can actually change or influence. Talk about Positives Too. A good rule is start off with something positive. This helps put the person at ease. It also lets them "see" what success looks like and this helps them to take the right steps next time.

How to Give Feedback Provide Specific Suggestions. Follow Up. Make sure you both know what needs to be done to improve the situation. The main message should be that you care and want to help the person grow and develop. Follow Up. You need to measure whether or not there is improved performance and then make adjustments as you go.

Process of Personal Change Five Steps to Achieving Change 1. Awareness- This is the fundamental step of realizing who are we and how are we perceived.   2. Understanding- This step has to do with the knowledge of causality. That is, seeing how our behavior impacts others and causes then to have certain perceptions. 3. Acceptance- This is the acknowledgement that a behavior is something within your power to change or influence.

Process of Personal Change Five Steps to Achieving Change 4. Commitment - This is the promise or resolve to make a genuine effort to change behaviors that are within your control. 5. Action- This is what you actually do and what others can observe. Actions need to be sustained over time for other people to view them as representing a real change.

SUMMARY Definition of Terms Importance of Self Awareness Gaining Realistic view of yourself Johari Window 5 steps in Achieving Change

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