The ARC of Leadership: How Improved Awareness Leads to Higher Performance

The following is the first article in a three-part series in which Denis Lévesque unveils his ARC of Leadership methodology. Assessing Your "Personal Brand" I’ve always thought that good leaders were a lot like good drivers. A good driver is very aware of their surroundings. They aren’t distracted by activities such as texting or a GPS. If they need to change speed or direction, good drivers use a framework of procedures—shoulder checks and mirrors—to minimize risk as they make adjustments on route to their destination. Good leaders are like that too. They know that changing corporate direction or speed can be dangerous unless you use the right tools and procedures to manage the risk change brings. Good leaders aren’t distracted by unnecessary noise: they are very aware of what is happening around them and use that knowledge to drive successful change. Self Awareness is all about knowing what you are good at, where you need to improve and then going about and making those improvements. It’s about being a good driver in your business role. Awareness is also the first of three core elements in what I call the ARC of Leadership. A leader can use these three critical “soft skills” to enhance their current skill set and take themselves and their company from pretty good to really amazing! Being self aware—understanding the nuances of your messages and how others perceive you—is a challenge for most. But the reality is, a leader’s “personal brand” has an enormous impact on an organization’s effectiveness. A few months ago, I was coaching a high energy, smart and driven leader. She was very good at what she was doing but did not find that her team was achieving its full potential. After a short journey in coaching, she discovered that she should stop fixing all of her team’s problems and let them find their own solution. This advice is quite obvious from a distance; but when you are in the middle of this situation, most people consider doing the work as more efficient… at least in the short term. The moment she stopped fixing problems and started to coach her employees, her team started improve. Initially, because she changed her style so drastically, the team struggled. However, within a short time, the team was able to deliver at the high level she expected of them. Five Steps to Increase Your Self-Awareness The road to greater self-awareness begins by assessing your personality and performance: your strengths and weaknesses, how you come across in the organization and how people perceive you. Unfortunately, most people are devastated when their limitations are aired and therefore internalize little of the “beneficial insight” from feedback such as a 360 review. It’s not easy to hear someone identify your weaknesses! So how do you increase your level of self awareness to become a better leader? Big Dashan suggests the following five ways: 1. Hire an executive coach. The role of a coach includes gently raising a mirror in front of you so that you can clearly see your own traits. Done objectively and gently, you will be amazed at the insights discovered. 2. Use personality tools. There are a plethora of tools which help to categorize the dynamics of your personality, communication style and even conflict style. These tools help provide a peek into how others may perceive your actions. 3. Ask for feedback! Asking the right question can deliver a lot of great information. But make sure you are ready for the feedback! It’s not always easy hearing about ways you need to self-improve. Don’t be defensive (and definitely not vindictive) when someone offers their honest opinion. 4. Slow down and don’t stress. We are all very busy. The demands of a job, family, volunteering, etc., can leave little time to do much, let alone think clearly. When we operate at 150 km/hour, our mind is just processing the tasks right in front of us. This leaves little space to just watch and learn. Sometimes, the answers are right in front of you, but you are just too busy to observe them! So schedule some down time or thinking time each week. Many of the biggest breakthroughs have happened this way! 5. Take care of yourself. Always take the time to get enough sleep, eat well and exercise. A healthy, well-rested body allows you to think more clearly when you are self-assessing. The ROI of Self-Awareness So why go through this exercise? What makes the pain worth the gain? Will better self-awareness really improve your leadership skills? In one word, "Yes!" A higher self-awareness provides you with the following: 1. Increased Confidence. Increasing self awareness, increases confidence on what you are good at and what you should delegate. 2. Personal Brand Management. We all “show” a certain way… you need to ask yourself if this is the “picture” you want others to know you by. By developing self-awareness you can better manage your personal brand. 3. Higher Efficiency. When you know that you have difficulty in certain areas of your work, you can now delegate, outsource or work on it. This will have a positive impact on your productivity. 4. Greater Trust. If people understand who you are, and know what to expect from you, you will develop trust within your team. Trust is a cornerstone for getting your team on side to implement plans and move your company forward. 5. Improved Bottom Line. As a leader, you need to understand how your skills and style positively impact the bottom line… and how they impede it. By overcoming your “impediments,” you will relate better to your employees, management team, partners, clients, etc., resulting in increased speed of execution and lower operational costs from everyone involved. Just as the expert driver uses their mirrors and shoulder checks to understand what is going on around them, a good leader will use similar tools to drive their business forward. It is difficult to hold a mirror up and see our weaknesses, but increasing awareness is vital in this hyper competitive world. Having an awareness of your strengths, as well as your areas for improvements is a critical element of great leadership. Luckily, everyone around you can clearly see your faults and weaknesses… so all you need to do is have the courage to ask them! I encourage you to be brave and look in that mirror and check behind you. You’ll be amazed at how that awareness will improve your skills as a leader. Be amazing! Next month, Denis will continue to outline his ARC of Leadership methodology. In the second part of his three-part series, he will discuss how leaders require Resilience to thrive in our complex and changing business world.