Manager, Know Thyself:
Why Self-Awareness Is Job #1–and Five Ways to Get Some
Great managers must master a huge and diverse set of skills. But without a good grasp
of your strengths and weaknesses, you won’t know what you most need to work on.
The authors of Mind Tools for Managers offer this crash course in self-awareness.
HOBOKEN, NJ (May 2018)–Without self-awareness, you can’t be a great leader. It’s just that simple. If you don’t have a good grasp of who you are–your strengths and weaknesses, the nuances of your personality, how others perceive you–you can only “fake” being a leader. You can’t lead in the authentic way that engages people and enables them to do their best work. And here’s the real problem: You won’t know what areas you need to work on.
“Being a great manager requires skills in many different areas,” says Julian Birkinshaw, coauthor along with James Manktelow of “Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to Be a Better Boss” (Wiley, April 2018, ISBN: 978-1-119-37447-3, $28.00). “Yet you can’t fix everything at once. You must apply your focus where you need the most help. That takes self-awareness.
“Yet studies consistently show that most human beings have blind spots that hold us back,” he continues. “We don’t know ourselves very well–that is, unless we make a conscious, deliberate effort to do so.”
That’s why the authors made “Know Yourself” the first chapter in their new book. _Mind Tools for Managers_ identifies the 100 skills that a manager can master to become a better leader. They were identified in a survey of 15,242 managers and professionals worldwide. This research was conducted by James Manktelow, founder and CEO of MindTools.com , and Professor Julian Birkinshaw, deputy dean for programs at London Business School. The authors provide practical advice for each of these skills and direct the reader to the MindTools.com website for a deeper dive into specific skill-building articles, worksheets, videos, and more.
But back to self-awareness: The authors’ study found this quality is deeply valued by many professionals. In fact, 59.8 percent of managers believe that it’s highly important to understand how their own behavior impacts other people.
They provide five tips, excerpted from their book, to help you raise your self-awareness and be a better manager.
DISCOVER WHERE YOU STAND ON THE “BIG FIVE” PERSONALITY MODEL. Manktelow and Birkinshaw recommend the Big Five Personality Traits model. It’s based on findings from several independent researchers in the 1950s and ultimately named “The Big Five” by Lewis Goldberg.* The model measures five key dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. By understanding how you score on each dimension, you can make sure you’re in the right role and/or take action in “low score” areas to improve your performance. NOTE: FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE SIDEBAR _MANAGERS, HOW DO YOU SCORE ON THE “BIG FIVE” PERSONALITY TRAITS?_
To learn more about the Big Five Personality Traits model and discover strategies for addressing disadvantageous scores, please visit _The Big Five Personality Traits Model and Test: Matching Personalities with Roles_ (http://mnd.tools/1-1 [3]). To take an online Big Five Personality Test, please visit: http://mnd.tools/1-2 [4].
LEARN YOUR PERSONAL STRENGTHS (AND WEAKNESSES). The SWOT analysis is a popular tool that helps businesses identify their strengths and weaknesses, but it can also help managers identify their own strong and weak areas.
* Look at your strengths. What skills, certifications, or connections do you have that others don’t? What do you do particularly well? What resources can you access?
* Examine your weaknesses. What tasks do you struggle to do well and why? What do the people around you see as your weaknesses? What poor work habits do you have? What’s holding you back from being fully successful at work?
* Explore opportunities. Brainstorm emerging trends that excite you in your market or issues that customers complain about that you can address. And be sure to identify opportunities that come from your strengths.
* Observe any threats. What could undermine you or cause problems at work? Is your job or technology changing in a way that could be worrisome? Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats?
To learn more about personal SWOT analysis, please read Personal SWOT Analysis: Making the Most of Your Talents and Opportunities (http://mnd.tools/2-1).
IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE CLEAR PERSONAL GOALS, SET THEM NOW. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation, both of which you need to be a successful manager. That’s why the authors recommend that you invest a few hours in thinking about what you’d like your future to look like. Consider areas like career, family, education, relationships, personal finances, and personal enjoyment.
“Remember the SMART mnemonic,” says Manktelow. “Your dreams should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This helps you clarify your ideas, focus your efforts, use your time and resources productively, and increase your chances of achieving what you want in life.”
To learn more about personal goal setting, including accessing a structured goal-setting program, please read _Personal Goal Setting: Planning to Live Your Life Your Way_ (http://mnd.tools/3-1 ). To learn more about SMART goal setting, please read SMART Goals: How to Make Your Goals Achievable (http://mnd.tools/3-2 ).
SHORE UP YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE. The way we view our own abilities is a key determinant of self- efficacy and self-esteem. We can pump ourselves up with positive self-talk and listen to people who flatter us, but this can lead us to become overconfident and to fall flat on our faces. Alternatively, we can put ourselves down and listen to naysayers and critics, leading us to back away from opportunities and not achieve our potential. (No one wants to be managed by a flustered boss who doubts his or her own judgment!)
“The key is to strike a healthy balance between these two extremes,” notes Birkinshaw. “Research has shown that being _slightly_ overconfident in your own abilities is useful because it allows you to take on challenges from which you can learn.”
To learn more about building self-confidence, please read Building Self-Confidence: Preparing Yourself for Success! (http://mnd.tools/4-1 [8])
MANAGE YOUR BAD MOODS. Just as we need to be appropriately self-confident as managers, we also need to be aware of and manage the emotions we project to members of our teams. From the moment we come in the door in the morning to the time we leave, people read our words and our body language. For our teams to be happy and productive, we need to manage negative thoughts and project positive emotions. More than this, we need to be positive for our _own_ good at work.
“There are tricks you can use to quickly boost your mood, like forcing a smile onto your face for several minutes before you enter the office,” says Manktelow. “But what you really need to do is understand and turn around the negative thinking that underpins your own negative emotions.”
The authors recommend cognitive restructuring–first developed by psychologist Albert Ellis in the mid-1950s–to improve negative moods or combat fear, apprehension, or anxiety about a person or event. Specifically they suggest a technique based on the seven-column Thought Record copyrighted by Christine A. Padesky, appearing in _Mind Over Mood_.
To learn more, please read Cognitive Restructuring: Reducing Stress by Changing Your Thinking (http://mnd.tools/6-1 [9]).
“Until you truly know yourself, you will never be a great leader,” concludes Manktelow. “Only by becoming self-aware can you play to your strengths, understand your own personal goals, forge authentic connections with your team and colleagues, and inspire others to do the same. Start getting to know yourself today and see where it takes you and your team tomorrow.”
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* Goldberg, L.R., “The Development of Markers for the Big-Five Factor Structure,” Psychological Assessment, Vol. 4, No. 1, 26-42, 1992, published by the American Psychological Association, Inc.
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MANAGERS, HOW DO YOU SCORE ON THE “BIG FIVE” PERSONALITY TRAITS?
Excerpted from Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to Be a Better Boss
(Wiley, April 2018, ISBN: 978-1-119-37447-3, $28.00)
by James Manktelow and Julian Birkinshaw
The first step to being a great manager is to master self-awareness. That’s why Julian Birkinshaw, coauthor along with James Manktelow of _Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to Be a Better Boss_ (Wiley, April 2018, ISBN: 978-1-119-37447-3, $28.00, MindTools.com [10]), says The Big Five Personality Traits model is so valuable.
Based on findings from several independent researchers in the 1950s and ultimately named “The Big Five” by Lewis Goldberg of the Oregon Research Institute, the model helps you understand how fully you possess the five key dimensions of personality.*
Once you understand your unique personality traits, you can use this knowledge to improve your work performance and even tell if you’re in the right job in the first place. They are:
* Openness–your desire for new knowledge and experience, your appreciation of art and beauty, and your creativity. If you have low openness, you should commit to trying out new experiences and ways of thinking.
* Conscientiousness–how much care you take with things and how hard you work. Managers must possess high conscientiousness or take firm action to develop it further–otherwise, no one will trust them to get things done.
* Extraversion–how sociable you are. Are you warm, enthusiastic, and gregarious in social situations, or do you find yourself drained by social contact with people? Many modern workplaces favor a fast, team-oriented, extraverted approach. Introverts should adapt to this or find situations and roles that better suit the way they prefer to work.
* Agreeableness–your friendliness and kindness to others. Agreeable people are often easier to work with.
* Neuroticism –how volatile you are and how well you are in control of your emotions. People with high neuroticism are unsettling to work with, particularly in high-stress work environments.
To learn more about The Big Five model and discover strategies for addressing disadvantageous scores, please visit _The Big Five Personality Traits Model and Test: Matching Personalities with Roles_ (http://mnd.tools/1-1 ). To take an online Big Five Personality Test, please visit: http://mnd.tools/1-2.
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* Goldberg, L.R., “The Development of Markers for the Big-Five Factor Structure,” Psychological Assessment, Vol. 4, No. 1, 26-42, 1992, published by the American Psychological Association, Inc.
# # #
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
James Manktelow and Julian Birkinshaw are coauthors of Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to Be a Better Boss (Wiley, April 2018, ISBN: 978-1-119-37447-3, $28.00).
James Manktelow is founder and CEO of MindTools.com . He has written, edited, and contributed to more than 1,000 articles, more than sixty workbooks, and seven books and e-books on management and leadership, including Manage Your Time and Manage Stress.
Julian Birkinshaw is professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, deputy dean for programs, and academic director of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. He is the author of fourteen books, including Fast/Forward, Becoming a Better Boss, and Reinventing Management.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
_Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to Be a Better Boss _(Wiley, April 2018, ISBN: 978-1-119-37447-3, $28.00) is available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers, and direct from the publisher by calling 800-225-5945. In Canada, call 800-567-4797. For more information, please visit the book’s page [14] on www.wiley.com.