Self-awareness

- I lacked self-awareness early in my career. I had no idea what my strengths and weaknesses were or the best work environment I should be in, which is no surprise, since we generally learn these skills on the job. My first job was working in a fast paced global PR agency. A typical creative environment. Open plan office, loud music pumpin', TV on in the background, and people talking loudly on their phones. Sounds like fun, right? Not for me, it wasn't. I found it difficult to focus. Why? Because I wasn't self-aware enough back then to know that I was an introvert. Overly stimulated environments make me lose focus and often drain my energy. I struggled to concentrate in such a noisy atmosphere with so much buzz around me. By the end of each work week, I was exhausted. It's only when I really began to understand myself, my strengths, challenges, and areas to develop that I understood what would make me fulfilled. Which type of work environments do you thrive in? How do you think you come across to those around you? Your ability to answer these questions about yourself comes down to your level of self-awareness, often described as the ability to tune into your feelings, thoughts, and actions. Research from "Harvard Business Review" suggests that when we see ourselves clearly we're more confident or more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. And we become more effective leaders with more satisfied employees and more profitable companies as a result. The benefits of being self-aware are too big to ignore. People with strong self-awareness skills can identify their strengths and challenges, understand their needs and feelings, recognize other people's needs and feelings, see how their behavior affects others, and develop a growth mindset and learn from their mistakes. Here's a short exercise to help you build self-awareness. Grab a pen and paper or use a notebook tool on your LinkedIn Learning dashboard. This is a simple yet a profound exercise. You have to answer one question. Who are you? Over and over. This exercise is pretty straightforward. Write down whatever comes to mind and take some time to reflect on who you are at your core without the titles. It's too easy to fall into the trap or focus in on what you do rather than who you are. It's also easy to focus on what you are not that great at while totally overlooking the things you do well. Developing self-awareness is not something that happens overnight. So if you've never taken the time to reflect until now, go easy on yourself. You can deepen your connection with yourself over time anytime you decide.