In the fast-paced world of executive leadership, executive self-awareness is an indispensable asset. It serves as the foundation for emotional intelligence and effective decision-making. By tapping into our inner dialogue, or “mind chatter,” leaders can uncover hidden biases and blind spots that influence their behaviors and interactions. Through the strategic KASH Method (Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Habits) leadership coaching method, executives can transform this internal narrative into a tool for growth and empowerment.
Exercise 1: Documenting Inner Dialogue
This exercise, adapted from Joshua Spodek’s “Leadership Step by Step,” is an insightful approach to develop self-awareness. As executives, understanding and managing our self-talk is critical. Begin by carrying a notebook or a digital device. Several times a day, for a few lines at a time, record your internal dialogue. Capture these thoughts across various scenarios—at work, at home, during meetings, or while alone. The key is to record them without judgment, which could cloud your perception.
Reflecting on your entries may reveal patterns, often of negativity or self-criticism. However, recognize that this internal dialogue is a natural part of human cognition. Increasing your awareness of these negative patterns enables you to influence and redirect your mindset, fostering a more constructive leadership attitude—a vital element of senior executive success.
What to Doto Improve Executive Self-Awareness
- Carry a notebook, smart phone, tablet, or recording device.
- A few times a day, write or record the words of your inner monologue as best you can, a few lines each time.
Each time you record a monologue will take about a minute. Do this exercise until you’ve got a few dozen passages. Its important to do it for several days, under different situations. For example, write down some self-talk at work, at home, alone, with people, and when feeling different emotions.
Simply record your dialogue without making any judgments. Judgment clouds the ability to be observant. The goal is to raise awareness of the words we use. If you find yourself being critical of someone, write down the words, not how you feel about the words. Later on, in a follow-up exercise, we can examine meaning, beliefs, and what to do about them.
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This isn’t as easy to do as you might think. We cant write as fast as we think. The very act of writing changes what we say and feel because we cant help but interpret at the same time. Persist and practice, focusing on getting the actual words used in self-talk onto the paper or screen, one line at a time.
Exercise 2: Challenging Core Beliefs
Beliefs, often unexamined, act as filters that shape how we perceive reality. In this exercise, challenge yourself to identify and record your beliefs, especially those shaping your reality. Over the course of a week, aim to note a diverse range of beliefs and interpretations without passing judgment.
Through this process, executives can learn to question entrenched beliefs and consider alternatives. Such flexibility in thinking not only drives personal growth but also enhances organizational adaptability. As you reflect on your beliefs, recognize that they are choices made to understand reality—not immutable truths. Embracing this flexibility is crucial for developing empathy and improving interpersonal connections within the leadership sphere.
Reflection and Personal Growth
Engaging in these exercises empowers executives to harness the KASH Method, enhancing both personal and professional development. By refining self-awareness, leaders improve their emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and interpersonal effectiveness, ultimately reinforcing their leadership capabilities.
What to Do to Improve Executive Self-Awareness
Reflect on your inner monologue.
- What did you notice most?
- Did you notice any trends?
- How hard was it to be non-judgmental?
If you’re like most people, you might be surprised at the amount of negativity and critical content of your words. But here’s what’s important to know: you aren’t necessarily a negative or critical person. Everyone is negative and judgmental, that’s the way the human brain works.
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Knowing how your mind-chatter is always working enables you to influence it. It explains much about how you perceive and react to the world. It also influences how others perceive and react to you. This self-awareness helps you manage yourself emotionally Imagine how much easier it is to acknowledge how we can misperceive and misjudge situations and people when armed with enhanced self-awareness.
The more we understand that others minds work similarly, the more easily we can understand them. We can feel more empathy and compassion for others.
Write Your Beliefsto Improve Executive Self-Awareness
We generally don’t notice how our minds work with assumptions and beliefs. For one thing, they are embedded, we take them for granted, and we assume they are universal truths. But beliefs are a way the mind filters out information. So as not to be overwhelmed with incoming perceptions, the mind forms a mental model or a representation of reality for a purpose.
Most people confuse their perception of the environment with the actual environment, concluding they cant change things because that’s the way things are. If we remember that our perceptions are the map and not the territory, then we realize we can be flexible in changing our beliefs and considering alternatives.
Unfortunately, most of us pride ourselves on our quick thinking and ability to size up people and situations, and thus we forget that our interpretation of reality is not reality.
Peoples greatest resistance to grow and develop often stems from inflexibility in changing beliefs or considering alternatives. Joshua Spodek, Leadership Step by Step: Becoming the Person Others Follow
Creator of the KASHBOX: Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Habits
Helping You Realize Your Potential
I help people discover their potential, expand and develop the skills and attitudes necessary to achieve a higher degree of personal and professional success and create a plan that enables them to balance the profit motives of their business with the personal motives of their lives.
