Chapter 1
Focusing on
Self-Awareness
You have daily opportunities to significantly impact others around you. To maximize your impact and fulfillment, start with self-awareness.
Self-awareness is a lifelong endeavor. We all learn, grow, adapt, and evolve throughout our entire lives. We believe we know ourselves, but then an experience reveals a hidden strength, blind spot, or opportunity for growth and dramatically changes our values.
Importantly, remember that you can be successful by being yourself. Don’t feel like you have to embody antiquated leadership stereotypes such as extraordinary extroversion or a win-at-any-cost attitude. Anyone can be a successful manager and leader. There’s no type or set of strengths that’s required. Be your best self, not an imitation of someone else.
We are going to simplify our approach to self-awareness by focusing on meaning, passions, strengths, values, and vision. Revisit these topics at least every six months to help you understand how you are learning, growing, and transforming.
Meaning
Meaning is about understanding your purpose, sometimes called your “why.” Meaning involves the important things you want to fulfill in your life. Meaning provides a clear sense of direction. Meaning makes the time, energy, and effort you put into your work and life feel worthwhile. Your purpose can appear early in life—for example, someone who has wanted to be a designer since they were a child. Your purpose can also reveal itself later or after a change in perspective or circumstance—for example, a teacher who realizes they want to be a nurse after caring for an ailing loved one.
Meaning also includes the belief that you are significant and valuable. Because meaning often involves feeling connected to something greater than yourself, meaning and purpose are often about positively impacting others and the world around you. However, I want to remind you that while other people and causes matter, so do you. You have to invest in your own health, well-being, and self-care to reach your highest potential and maximize the positive impact you have on others.
As you are thinking about meaning, ask yourself these questions:
- When does expending your energy feel most worthwhile?
- What do you want to be known for?
- How do you want to be remembered?
- What do you feel called to do?
- What do you want someone to say during your eulogy?
- How does your purpose transcend money?
- What’s your why? Why do you do the activities you do? Why do you make the decisions you make?
In summary, what fulfills and inspires you? From a professional point of view, I feel fulfilled and inspired when I help leaders and organizations both love their people and achieve their organization’s mission.
If you are struggling to find your purpose, reflect on your passions and interests, things that you are curious about, activities that you enjoy, and experiences that energize you. Importantly, remember that you and your purpose may evolve and change. Sometimes, people feel too much pressure to discover their life’s purpose instead of focusing on their current purpose. You can have a nu