By: Jill Thompson

How are you with self-awareness? More than 90% of us think we are self-aware, and yet less than 25% actually are.  Could be we are not 100% sure exactly what self-awareness is.

Have you ever asked your colleagues, “Do you want to go to lunch?”

And you get four different responses.

• “Oh, thank you so much for asking. Would you like me to drive?”
• “Yes. I’ll meet you at the car in 5 minutes.”
• “Well, I don’t know. When do you want to leave?  Where are we going?  How far is it?  Who else is going?
• “I’d love to. I know the perfect place. The staff knows me, and they always give me the best table.”

Which response is the one that sounds most like you? How about the one that you can’t believe someone even said? That’s where self-awareness comes into play. The dictionary defines self-awareness as “the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.”

The reason behind the answer.

When I think about self-awareness, I think of these two questions:

Why do we things the way we do, and why do we behave the way we do?

It’s also being able to understand what we do well and what we don’t do well.

At ICC, we define self-awareness as being able to understand your strengths and weaknesses.

And there is no more important place to have a heightened sense of self-awareness than your workplace. We spend an incredible amount of time away from our families working, and understanding how you interact best with your team can bring you greater job satisfaction and improve work relationships.

Just look at the lunch example. Such a simple question, yet it could be easy to feel frustrated if those responses differ from the way you would respond. Recognizing that colleagues aren’t intentionally trying to make things harder can bring harmony to your work relationships.

Start thinking about these questions.

How do you handle interruptions during the workday? What is your preferred communication method? Do you avoid or approach conflict? 

In an ideal scenario, not only do you know how you’d respond to these questions, but you’ve been transparent, and your colleagues also know how you work best. Self-awareness in the workplace creates stronger working relationships and helps you capitalize on the strengths around you. And frankly, no one wants to spend all that time working with strangers. Let people know who you are and in turn, be receptive to their unique behaviors and strengths.

Interested in learning more about self-awareness in the workplace?  ICC offers a unique approach to training and development with our Accelerator program. Call us today at 855-865-4400 or contact us at [email protected]