The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

16 / UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF

Developing self-awareness

Keeping moving

The best way to enhance your self-

awareness is to learn in a systematic

way from your own experiences. Start

by reflecting on situations in your

working life, your actions in response

to them, and the outcomes of these

events. Schedule a regular time to do

this, either at the beginning or end of a

workday, when you are not in the thick

of the action. Give yourself space to

reflect, and make sure you can be alone

and uninterrupted for a significant

period of time. Try to gain a better

understanding of what happened

and think about how you can learn

from each situation.

Analyzing your performance

Assessing your progress toward

your goals can help you gain a fuller

understanding of your strengths and

weaknesses. Whenever you make a key

decision or take a key action, write down

what you expect will happen. Then, every

three or four months, compare the actual

results with your expectations. If you

practice this method consistently, it will

help you discover what you are doing,

or failing to do, that deprives you of the

full benefits of your strengths, and will

demonstrate areas in which you are

not particularly competent and cannot

perform adequately.

Awareness of your emotions, personality, what you enjoy and dislike,

what motivates you, and what comes easily or poses challenges is a key

precursor to developing effective managerial ability. Quite simply, if

you can’t manage yourself, you will not be able to manage anyone else.

MAKE NOTES

Use your journal to “think on

paper” about what you have

read about management in

this or other books, or your

experiences in management

training programs.

Tip

Take time to reflect on

situations in your working

life, your actions in

response to them, and the

outcomes of these events

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