CMOE’s executive coaching has helped thousands of leaders reach higher levels of performance.
Over the years, we have found that developing enhanced self-awareness is vital to success in the C suite. Let’s face it: executives are confident and highly talented individuals, but without self-awareness, they will never be as successful as they could.
Being aware of how you are perceived by others and seeking feedback on how to improve your contribution to the business is a vital component of leadership success. Self-aware leaders are brutally honest with themselves. They know what their strengths and weaknesses are and are committed to continually developing their skills. They take charge of personal growth and development because it helps in their current job and prepares them for future opportunities.
How Blind Spots Impact Performance and Goals
Because executives have been so successful in the past, they can develop blind spots that impair their self-awareness. For example, it’s easy for leaders with high levels of personal drive to push the people around them too hard. As a result, these leaders may be seen as abrasive or insensitive to employee needs. They may also set goals without fully considering what it will take to get the tasks and projects accomplished, making those objectives unrealistic or unattainable.
While professional ambition is a requirement for making it to the highest levels of senior management, overly ambitious leaders may develop a need to be right at all costs. They may reject criticism, compete instead of cooperating with others, and see the organization in pure black and white: full of allies or enemies with no middle ground. All employees have their own needs, and it takes a self-aware leader to understand how best to leverage everyone’s talents.
The key to self-awareness is proactively seeking out helpful feedback and being open-minded when it comes to others’ suggestions on how you might become more effective. You must be able to solicit candid feedback from others, avoid becoming defensive, and act on the suggestions you are given.
The Trick to Enhancing Your Leadership Capabilities
However, just knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are and how you need to improve isn’t enough. You must develop specific goals and plans for strengthening your weaknesses and leveraging your strengths. This means identifying the people who can support your development and using a variety of experiences and methods—like self-study, practice, and coaching—to enhance your capabilities as a leader.
It’s also important to track the progress you are making towards your goals and continuously gather feedback as you begin to improve. When you actively seek out opportunities to grow, it will have a positive impact on your professional success, as well as helping the business, in both the short and long term.
CMOE knows that executives fill a difficult role in the business. They must balance competing demands, face numerous uncertainties, and take the needs and concerns of team members, customers, and shareholders into account when making decisions. Trying to continuously develop your own professional skills and leadership abilities in this situation is tough without a partner supporting your success.
Contact CMOE to learn more about our executive-coaching partnerships and how we can help you reach greater levels of success.
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