Here's how you can cultivate self-awareness for effective leadership in personal coaching.

This is so true especially for an action oriented person like me. When things don’t move or move slowly, I get anxious and that’s the time I’ll become impatient and probably say and do things I’ll regret later. Pausing to reflect helps to ground me and resist the temptation to protect my image at the expense of the people around me. Im at a point where I don’t lead people for my benefit but for the benefit, so pausing helps me to always remind myself of that: it’s not about my image or me winning, it’s about empowering the people I lead. So if you lose your ground from time to time, practice the power of pausing.

I have a simple 360 degree one sheet Q where the leader asks him or herself ‘How good are you at… with 10 items eg: demonstrating trustworthiness; sharing responsibility - all items vital to effective leadership. The leader scores on a sliding scale from not good to excellent. As we are all prone to exaggeration the next step is to give the same Q to the leader’s followers and ask them to score the leader. A conversation between the leader and followers takes place to discuss differences between perceptions. This also helps leaders develop their most important and effective skill - conversation - as well as helping the leader gain insight. I also have the multiple choice answers questionnaire ‘So you think you are a fabulous leader?’

I usually achieve self-awareness through self-reflection. I take time to reflect on my own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Journaling, meditation, and self-assessment tools helped me gain insight into our strengths, weaknesses, values, and beliefs. Understanding ourselves better can enhance your ability to lead and coach others effectively. Remember, we can’t give what we don’t have. So start by understanding and loving yourself. Let kindness, compassion and love overflow so others may benefit. That’s how you create the ripple effect.

I have an evening reflection practice. At the end of each day, I reflect on my experiences with gratitude and without judgment. I think making a mental ( and spiritual) decision to view the day with gratitude, understanding that even if I didn’t accomplish all I set out to accomplish the day was productive. It helps me focus on my overall goal without being attached to any particular outcome. Enjoy the journey.

What do you think if I tell you that mistakes can be great? Normally we try to avoid them but there is wisdom in them. Errors are usually condemned and even forbidden in our culture. We need to encourage our clients to make mistakes so they can learn from them. Don’t be afraid of committing mistakes, being humble makes us better leaders and inspire others to cease in the need of keep sabotage themselves with quilt and self-pity (Ourselves included). Awareness come from errors, if we are brave enough to acknowledge what we did wrong and be willing to learn from it changing our mind setting from victims to empowered. Now, repeating the same mistake over and over again is another story. ¿Ready to upgrade your live and inevitable success?

I was introduced to a lovely exercise, which is to ask as many people as possible to describe you in 3 words. You can make it as a survey to keep the answers anonymous! Once you have collected all the answers, use a "word cloud" software (free and easy to find) to get the overview of how you are perceived. More often than not, we are, ourselves, our worst critic and it’s refreshing to get others perception of you. You will most likely be pleasantly surprised. Building a clear image of our strengths is as important (if not more) as being aware of our areas of development.

Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your personal and professional development. Regularly assess your progress towards these goals. Setting goals gives you a clear direction and purpose, helping you to stay focused and motivated while also providing a benchmark for self-assessment. Having these goals in place, allows you to track your progress and plan future goals better as well.

So true that we can’t be defined by what happened to us rather how we respond to the situation. We all mess up in life, it’s part of being human. What makes us stronger is how we handle and respond to what happened with courage, honesty and responsibility. The blame game is still far too present in organisations and a great leader isn’t playing that game.

Another process to consider is t be completely transparent and honest has one can an hopefully that will lead the person to there Nothingness? So then the question to answer what can I add to anything? My commitment to my passion should be one of my first add back because it will allow me to face the areas were I might become vulnerable.

Allow yourself to be open and honest about your weaknesses, mistakes, and areas of improvement. Accept that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. Embracing vulnerability fosters trust and authenticity, both within yourself and in your relationships with others, creating a more supportive and honest environment.

Mindfulness helps you become more attuned to your inner state, recognizing emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations as they arise. This heightened self-awareness is crucial for understanding your responses and how your internal state influences your behavior. Observing your thoughts & feelings without judgment helps regulate emotional responses, preventing reactive behavior and supporting constructive interactions. Mindfulness increases empathy and compassion, enabling better connections and support for your team. It fosters calm mind aiding in balanced decision-making & considering the bigger picture for better outcomes. Regular mindfulness practice improves well-being by promoting mental clarity, emotional stability, and inner peace.

Cultivating self-awareness for effective leadership in personal coaching involves understanding biases and their impact on decision-making and interactions. Encourage clients to reflect on their beliefs, values, and experiences to identify potential biases they may hold. Provide opportunities for self-assessment exercises and feedback from others to gain insights into blind spots and unconscious biases. Explore how biases can influence perceptions, judgments, and behaviors in leadership roles, and discuss strategies for mitigating their effects. Encourage clients to seek diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and remain open to feedback to broaden their understanding and reduce the influence of biases.