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Increasing Your Self-Awareness
Marilyn Orr
“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”
― Lao Tzu
Lately I’ve had the pleasure of having conversations with both family members and friends about their Myers-Briggs or StrengthsFinder results. The use of assessments is not the only way to increase one’s self-awareness but it’s a fun one!
Partly the assessment gives you time to reflect and agree or disagree with statements in the tool about you.
These kinds of tools can be used well and bring a lot of understanding and acceptance between people on a team or in a family.
Sadly, I’ve also seen these tools used very poorly. When used wrong, the results can inappropriately be used to limit people or simply hurt and alienate people.
Today I want us to simply pause and think of a next step for each of us in our journey of deepening our own self-awareness and understanding. This truly is the foundation to lasting growth and change.
Assessments are just 1 of many ways. Taking time to either receive some feedback from people who know you or taking time to reflect and ask yourself some thought-provoking questions are great avenues also.
Assessments often word things or group qualities in ways that we would not do on our own and can therefore expand our thinking. Even when we disagree.
Here are a few, just a few, of the assessments out there that I’ve worked with and enjoy using (on myself and my clients):
(measures behavioral style preferences)
(personality type indicator)
(this elicits feedback from your peers, direct reports, boss, etc.)
(34 themes and you receive top 5 or all in ranking order)
(Emotional intelligence ranking 15 scales, all can be worked on)
There are values assessments, animal types, conflict style indicators, etc.
The Johari Window is a great illustration. It was created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955. Here is the model:
We don’t know what we don’t know! We need to use a variety of methods to shine light on our blind spots and the “unknown” areas of our being.
Although there are new conversations around Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there definitely seems to be a connection between being all that you can be, self-actualization, and being fulfilled and happy.
What will you do next to increase your self-awareness? What will you do to shine light in to your blind spots and free up some of your own potential?
If you want resource ideas let me know, I know a lot of coaches :)
Until next time,
Marilyn
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