DBA Case Study Wk2

2.

Developing Self-Awareness How are You Unique?

You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.

–Ernest Hemingway

As mentioned earlier, each of the two epic tsunamis in Southeast Asia and Japan had unique characteristics. In Ghosts of the Tsunami, Richard Lloyd Parry (2017) writes about how the local responses to the earth- quake and ensuing tsunami in Japan were very much in keeping with the culture and identity of the Japanese people. The warning system and initial response were precise, fast, and orderly. At the same time, a crisis of this magnitude was well outside of the routine protocol for dealing with earthquakes. In several ways, their traditional responses were, un- fortunately inadequate.

Parry provides an example of how traditional patterns of interaction in Japan overshadowed what needed to be done. He writes, “the expe- rience of the generations, the reassurance of the ancestors— these beat louder in the blood than the voices from the loudspeaker cars, screeching, “Evacuate! Evacuate!” The people here responded in ways that they knew, rather than heeding official warnings. For all of us, it is invaluable to know our default patterns of interaction so that we can know the strengths and weaknesses we bring to our lives, work, and leadership.

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High self-awareness helps all leaders to live, lead, and serve better. On the importance of self-awareness, we read the fol- lowing from Bill George, the former CEO of Medtronic and now a popular professor at Harvard Business School.

“When the seventy-five members of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council were asked to recom- mend the most important capability for leaders to develop, their answer was nearly unanimous: Self-Awareness” (p. 69).

True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (2007) Bill George

WHY IT MATTERS

On the topic of self-awareness, Tahsa Urich (2018) writes in HBR about the many favorable outcomes that result for those who possess high self-awareness.

Self-awareness seems to have become the latest management buzzword—and for good reason. Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relation- ships, and communicate more effectively. We’re less likely to lie, cheat, and steal. We are better workers who get more pro- motions. And we’re more-effective leaders with more-satisfied employees and more-profitable companies.

“What Self-Awareness Really Is” (and How to Cultivate It)

When self-awareness is high, many good things follow. When self-awareness is low, it can have disastrous consequences. In “Working with People Who Aren’t Self-Aware,” Eurich writes:

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Un-self-aware colleagues aren’t just frustrating; they can cut a team’s chances of success in half. According to our research, other consequences of working with unaware colleagues in- clude increased stress, decreased motivation, and a greater likelihood of leaving one’s job.

Research tells us that self-awareness clearly plays a critical role in both success and a lack of success.

HOW IT WORKS

Each person and organization has singular characteristics and creates value for their stakeholders in different ways. You should be able to ar- ticulate how you (individually and collectively) are unique and how you and your organization uniquely create value for others.

Earlier, we asked the question of “What do you provide that oth- ers value?” Self-awareness addresses the “you” in this statement. At the heart of self-awareness is the ability to perceive yourself on three dif- ferent levels. As you understand yourself better, you can better manage your life, work, and leadership. These three different levels include:

• How you see yourself. • How others see and experience you. • How versatile you are at adapting to the need of the

situation.

As you grow in self-understanding, you can add an understanding of how others see you as well as appreciate your versatility in being able to work outside your natural tendencies. Let’s go into more detail on these three areas.

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Understanding Yourself Self-awareness is knowledge about yourself and includes a keen under- standing of:

• Who you are. • How you work. • How your characteristics vary in different roles, situations,

and stress levels. • The unique value you create for others in personal rela-

tionships, professional relationships, and through leader- ship roles.

How You can Grow in Self-Awareness Self-awareness can be learned and developed. Here are some sugges- tions for ways you can grow in your self-awareness:

• Self-reflection: What do you like? What do you do well and what do you struggle with?

• Structured Assessments: DISC, Myers-Briggs (MBTI), StrengthFinders, etc.

• Feedback from Others: Family members, friends, co-workers, etc.

you

others

versatility

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How Others Experience You There may be some differences between how you see yourself and how others experience you. For example, while you may see yourself as in- troverted, you may also see yourself as thoughtful and collaborative. It is good to know whether others experience you as cool and aloof. We all want others to have a good experience with us in ways that align with our authentic self.

Versatility It is not enough to know ourselves. We must also explore our versatility. For example, my Myers-Briggs personality type is ENTP, which means that I live and lead with certain tendencies. Versatility means that I am able to adjust and adapt when needed. While I am naturally analytical, I am not naturally organized. To maximize my value and contribution to others, I have had to get better at some things I am not naturally good at.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Growing in self-awareness is a lifelong journey that never ends. As I now have new grandchildren, I am learning that good grandparenting is different from good parenting. While self-awareness is often discussed in terms of the individual, it applies to all three PPO levels (personal, professional, and organizational).

Personal Begin by reflecting on who you are and how this plays out in your life, work, and leadership.

Use one or more popular assessments such as: º Myers-Briggs (MBTI) º DISC º StrengthsFinder º Enneagram

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º NOTE: There are inexpensive or free versions of some of the above. However, you may want review your re- sults with a trained coach or someone certified in the assessment.

Talk with those around you and see what they say about your tendencies:

º Parents º Spouse º Children º Co-workers º Friends

As you grow in understanding of yourself personally, you can then look more closely at yourself in professional settings.

Professional People I coach often ask what they should work on. While that varies by person, I often say that a good place to start is finding what you are good at and working on moving that to great.

Here I like to use the Good-to-Great Rubric (G2GR) which includes:

• Great • Good • Adequate • Poor • Train Wreck or Nonexistent

NOTE: We have later chapter dedicated to the Good-to-Great Rubric.

You can take this Good-to-Great Rubric (G2GR) and apply it in the following ways.

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• Find what you are good at and see if you can move from good to great. This will probably be your leading value contribution.

• Find what you are poor at and see if you can get to ade- quate. This will help you ensure that your weaknesses don’t become significant distractions to your areas of contribu- tion.

Remember, when you interview for a job, it is important to be able to articulate where you are good-to-great and where you are adequate and how these align with the value you can create in the workplace and in certain roles.

Organizational Organizations, like people, cannot be good at everything, nor can they compete in every market. Each organization should ask itself how it is unique. This extends to each organization’s unique value proposition.

Michael Porter, the greatest strategy expert of our generation, has created five tests of strategy:

• A unique value proposition • A tailored value chain • Trade-offs different from rivals • Fit across the value chain • Continuity over time

As you can see, the first test of good strategy is a unique value proposition. In your role as a growing strategic leader, you can help your team, depart- ment, and/or organization to clarify their unique value propositions. This is central to strategy and key to an organization’s self-awareness.

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30 Minutes per Week

Write down how you are unique in the value that you create for your stakeholders. For now, just jot down any thoughts that come to mind. I have my MBA students do this for themselves personally, professionally, and for their organization.

Once you have this written down, take some time each week to re- fine the language. Compare your notes and thoughts with others to see if they agree with you.