Leadership Success: Why Self Awareness Matters


Success as a leader does not come with a guarantee. There are many highs and lows. In many ways it is a bit of a roller coaster. While many leaders spend a lot of time trying to learn how to do things, the key to higher performance often comes from increased self awareness.

When leaders have high degrees of self awareness they:

  • Have the insights about what they do well and what they need to develop
  • Know and understand the impact that they have on others
  • Know when to push forward, when to take stock and when to back off
  • Don’t get frustrated that they cannot do everything themselves: in fact building a team around them is something that they know helps achieve results
  • Break habits, beliefs and mindsets that hinder progress

The truth is we can all focus on learning stuff but that alone will only take us so far.

Greater self awareness is the catalyst to transforming performance.

If you have enjoyed this article you might like to check out The Benefits of Self Awareness

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. He invites you to take advantage of his free audio e-course Leadership Success at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

About the Author Duncan Brodie

Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.

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12 comments
Guy Farmer says 23 May 2011

Great points Duncan. Savvy leaders understand how their actions affect others and can make adjustments to become even more effective. Self-awareness is a key leadership skill because it allows leaders to lead without stepping on their employees. We also become more effective leaders when we are continually learning.

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