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Lisa

THE VALUE OF HAVING SELF-AWARE PEOPLE IN THE WORKPLACE     

Does increased emotional intelligence in leaders and employees, directly translate into more effective, higher producing, and happier teams at work? 

In an article titled “What Makes a Leader,” written for The Harvard Business Review, Daniel Goleman makes some great points about self-awareness that I feel answer this question when examined in an employee context, which I have attempted to do in this blog. 

https://helenagmartins.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/what-makes-a-leader-d-goleman-hbr-1998.pdfess Review,

I will be giving examples from a Color Code lens to showcase how your personality assessment can give employees a tool to double their self-awareness in less than an hour.

But first, just so we are on the same page, let’s define what emotional intelligence is: 

“Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others,” according to Psychology Today. 

To drill down on that a little deeper, according to Daniel Goleman, the renowned American psychologist and researcher who helped to popularize and define emotional intelligence, there are five key elements to it:

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Social skills

It’s interesting to note that from our 30+ years of research into personality at Color Code, we’ve found that self-regulation is something that tends to come naturally to White personalities. Motivation is something that tends to come naturally to Red personalities. Empathy is something that tends to come naturally to Blue personalities. And social skills tend to come naturally to Yellow personalities.  

However, self-awareness is something that doesn’t seem to come naturally to any of the personality types. Yet, it is the easiest way to boost a person’s emotional intelligence.

So What Is Self-Awareness?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines self-awareness as conscious knowledge of one’s character, feelings, motives, and desires.

Okay, got it. So How Does Self-Awareness Help My Team Members?

Truthfully, there is a myriad of ways. However, in the interest of time and keeping Daniel Goleman’s article in mind, I’ve identified in his article five of the strongest ways team members and companies will benefit when given tools and opportunities to increase their self-awareness.

Let’s dive in!

• Self-Awareness Helps Team Members Keep Their Cool

In his article, Dr. Goleman writes, “People who have a high degree of self-awareness recognize how their feelings affect them, other people, and their job performance. Thus, a self-aware person who knows that tight deadlines bring out the worst in him plans his time carefully and gets his work done well in advance. Another person with high self-awareness will be able to work with a demanding client. She will understand the client’s impact on her moods and the deeper reasons for her frustration. ‘Their trivial demands take us away from the real work that needs to be done,’ she might explain. And she will go one step further and turn her anger into something constructive.”

So not only does an employee having self-awareness help them plan tasks accordingly, but it also helps them take a step back from their emotions and then harness them into a productive context instead of being ruled by them.

From a Color Code perspective: Knowing the strengths, limitations, needs, and wants of your personality in contrast to those of others is incredibly helpful in mitigating frustration because you can see where both you and they are coming from and are empowered with tools to “speak their language.” Also, knowing your own color helps you to take a step back and consider how your actions or words might be being interpreted. Not to mention you can create systems and plans for work tasks that both leverage your strengths and help compensate for your natural limitations. 

• Self-Awareness Helps Team Members Find Their Place To Shine & Grow

Dr. Goleman goes on to explain that, “Self-awareness extends to a person’s understanding of his or her values and goals. Someone who is highly self-aware knows where he is headed and why; so, for example, he will be able to be firm in turning down a job offer that is tempting financially but does not fit with his principles or long-term goals. A person who lacks self-awareness is apt to make decisions that bring on inner turmoil by treading on buried values. “The money looked good so I signed on,” someone might say two years into a job, “but the work means so little to me that I’m constantly bored.” The decisions of self-aware people mesh with their values; consequently, they often find work to be energizing.”

Team members that are self-aware are much more likely to find opportunities at work that speak to their interests and strengths rather than just chasing the money. This helps tremendously with employee retention and effective teams because not only will team members want to stick around, but their drive will be for more than a paycheck and thus be happier and more effective all around.

From a Color Code perspective, knowing what drives you can help you make important decisions about what careers to consider, what promotions to seek, and where the best fit might be for you in a company. It helps you see talents you have and weaknesses that should be addressed if you want to thrive in the career or job of your choosing.

• Self-Awareness Helps Team Members Manage Constructive Criticism

Next, Daniel Goleman goes on to write, “Self-awareness can also be identified during performance reviews. Self-aware people know—and are comfortable talking about—their limitations and strengths, and they often demonstrate a thirst for constructive criticism. By contrast, people with low self-awareness interpret the message that they need to improve as a threat or a sign of failure.”

I wanted to focus on the “they demonstrate a thirst for constructive criticism” part. This is HUGE. Because, let’s face it, when most people are criticized, many times they want to get defensive, rationalize, blame others, or minimize the issue. BUT, if we can teach our teams to view constructive criticism as a gift to improve and an opportunity to learn rather than some sort of attack that requires a counter-attack, our teams will innovate much faster and conflicts at the office will be reduced. 

For a Color Code example, a Red personality that naturally wants to hide insecurities tightly can learn to put systems in place that invite feedback and criticism as part of company culture and opportunity for growth instead of getting defensive. Or on the flip side, when giving constructive criticism, a Red can consider the color of the personality whom they are providing the feedback and adjust their message accordingly. 

• Self-Awareness Helps Team Members Know When To Ask For Help

Dr. Goleman also writes that “Self-aware people can also be recognized by their self-confidence. They have a firm grasp of their capabilities and are less likely to set themselves up to fail by, for example, overstretching on assignments. They know, too, when to ask for help. And the risks they take on the job are calculated. They won’t ask for a challenge that they know they can’t handle alone. They’ll play to their strengths.”

When your team members have more self-awareness, they, in turn, have a very valuable type of self-confidence. It’s a type of self-confidence that is based in truth and will ultimately get the right people in front of the right tasks more often.

For a Color Code example, someone who is aware of the strengths and limitations of their core personality color can feel a sense of confidence in their strengths and play to them as well as take steps to create systems or surround themselves with team members that help offset their natural limitations. 

• Self-Awareness Helps Team Leaders Assess Accurately

 The final quote I want to highlight from the article by Dr. Goleman is: “Leaders are constantly required to make judgment calls that require a candid assessment of capabilities—their own and those of others. Do we have the management expertise to acquire a competitor? Can we launch a new product within six months? People who assess themselves honestly—that is, self-aware people—are well suited to do the same for the organizations they run.”

As a leader, you need to have the right people on your team to accomplish the goals of the company. Do you have the right people for the job? How can you train your team members to have the skills they need to take your company to the next level? Having self-aware managers, team leaders, and team members helps everyone take an accurate reading of the current soft and hard skillset the team possesses and makes seeing the best way to move forward easier.

From a Color Code perspective, we know a good team needs the talents and strengths of all four personality types working together to thrive long-term. One person’s limitations can be offset by another’s strengths. Knowing what drives your team members, as well as their strengths, can help you place them on the right team and with the right tools where they can add the most value, feel the most fulfilled, and ultimately thrive. 

There you have it! Five reasons to consider seeking opportunities to increase the self-awareness of yourself and your team. 

Here’s to you and your team!

____________________________________________

Joe England has known about the Color Code ever since 1994 when his Grandpa caused quite a family controversy by “quick coding” everyone.  Luckily, Joe could see the value in what Grandpa Don was going for and years later, when the opportunity arose to work for the Color Code in marketing and product development, Joe jumped at the chance. He is a Yellow, enjoys Swedish Fish, travel, surfing, snowboarding and being a Dad.