This document outlines a presentation on developing self-awareness as a key to leadership effectiveness. It begins with definitions of self-awareness and discusses the importance of self-awareness for leaders. Research finds that the most important leadership capability is self-awareness. The presentation then provides strategies for developing self-awareness at both the individual level, including mindfulness practices and feedback, and at the organizational level, such as leadership programs and discussions.

1. Level 8, 99 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
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leadership.com.au
The 4th Annual
Woman in Finance and Accounting
Leadership Summit 2016
‘Self-Awareness: the key to
leadership effectiveness’
11 May 2016
Prepared by Sandra Sieb

2. – My aim today is to:
• Present a broader framework of Self-Awareness
• Build the case for a self-aware leader and present you with some of
the research supporting that argument
• Give you some strategies to help you increase your Self-Awareness,
both at an individual and organisational level

3. – A few definitions of Self-Awareness:
Self-Awareness: “Conscious knowledge of one’s character and
feelings”
Self:” A person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others,
especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive
action”
Awareness: “Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact”
(Oxford Dictionary)

4. – The Self
SELF
Biology
Character
Family Context
Societal influences
Stories
Strengths/
Weaknesses
Emotional Triggers
Assumptions
Beliefs

5. – Others
OTHERS
Biology
Character
Family Context
Societal influences
Stories
Strengths/
Weaknesses
Emotional Triggers
Assumptions
Beliefs

6. – Broader definition of Self-Awareness:
ENVIRONMENT
Country
Political environment
Regulatory environment
Industry conventions
Company
Team
Colleagues
Family Environment
Etc.

7. – Quality of the Awareness: a mindful Awareness
Awareness: “Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact”
(Oxford Dictionary)
Mindfulness: is the awareness that arises through “paying attention in
a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and
nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4)

8. – A definition of Self-Awareness as “a mindful awareness of
the Self in a dynamic context”
OTHERSSELF Impact ?Impact ?
ENVIRONMENT
Impact ?
Impact ?
Self as
Observer

9. – Building the case for the Self-Aware leader
“When the 75 members of the Stanford Graduate School of
Business’s Advisory Council were asked to recommend the
most important capability for leaders to develop, their answer
was nearly unanimous: self-awareness”
(George et al., 2007, in “Discovering your Authentic Leadership”)

10. – Self-Awareness and Leadership effectiveness
• Becoming more self-aware increases your self-knowledge and
access your leadership authenticity
• Becoming more self-aware increases your ability to self-regulate and
self-control
• Becoming more self-aware increases your ability to grasp
complexity and to become more agile

11. – Self-Awareness is a key lever of one’s vertical development
journey
Source: integralleadershipreview.com Vertical Stages of Growth. This illustration cross refers to two leading
developmental theories; Torbert’s developmental action-logics and Kegan’s orders of consciousness. Both track
the development in mental complexity and growth in consciousness and awareness over time
Each stage has a different:
• Relation to timeframe
• Focus of Awareness
• Interpersonal Style/
feedback
• Relationship to power
Each stage has its own:
• Strengths
• Challenges
• Developmental shifts to
try
Center of gravity of our
society is between the Expert
and Achiever level

12. – Strategies to develop Self-Awareness at an individual level
NOTICE REFLECT
DEVELOP A
MINDFULNESS
PRACTICE
ASK FOR
FEEDBACK
• Thoughts
• Feelings
• Bodily sensations
• Use a mindfulness
app
• Commit time to reflect
on a regular basis
• Start a therapy/
coaching program
BE CURIOUS

13. – Strategies to develop Self-Awareness at an organisational
level – Organisations can act as “facilitative agents”
• Introduce on-the job leadership developmental programs that are
supported by top-level executives
- Focus on the conversation: “the quality of an organisation depends on the
quality of its conversation” (Dr. M. Cavanagh)
- Start with a 360 developmental feedback programs such as Leadership Circle,
LSI, interview-based
- Combine individual and collective approaches
- Take your team on a leadership retreat outside of its environment for a few days
• Introduce “Hats off sessions” at the end of meetings

14. – References
Bachkirova, T. (2011). Developmental coaching: working with the self. New York: Open University Press.
Bauer, J. J. (2011). The Postconventional Self: Ego Maturity, Growth Stories...and Happiness? In A. H. Pfaffenberger, P. W. Marko
& A. Combs (Eds.), The Postconventional Personality (pp. 101-118). Albany: State University of New York Press.
Bennis, W. G. (2010). On becoming a leader. . Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.
Boyatsis, R. E., & Akrivou, K. (2006). The ideal self as the driver of intentional change. Journal of Management Development, 25(7),
624-642.
Buss, D. M., & Scheier, M. F. (1976). Self-consciousness, self-awareness, and self-attribution. Journal of Research in Personality,
10(4), 463-468
Cook-Greuter, S. R. (2004). Making the case for a developmental perspective. Industrial and Commercial Training, 36(7), 275-281.
Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., May, D. R., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2005). "Can you see the real me?" A self-based model of
authentic leader and follower development. The leadership quarterly(16), 345-372.
Garvey Berger, J. (2007). Adult Development Theory and Executive Coaching Practice. In D. Stober & A. M. Grant (Eds.), Evidence
based Coaching Handbook (pp. 77-102). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
Garvey Berger, J. (2012). Changing on the Job. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Garvey Berger, J., & Fitzgerald, C. (2002). Leadership and Complexity of Mind: The Role of Executive Coaching. In J. Garvey
Berger & C. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Executive coaching: Practices and perspectives (pp. 27-57). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black
Publishing.

15. – References
George, B. (2010). Authentic Leaders. Leadership Excellence, 27(10), 16.
George, B., Sims, P., McLean, A. N., & Mayer, D. (2007). Discovering your authentic leadership (Vol. 85, pp. 129). United States:
Harvard Business Review.
Joiner, B., & Josephs, S. (2006). Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change: Jossey-Bass.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. . New York, NY: Hyperion.
Kegan, R. (1979). The Evolving Self: A Process Conception for Ego Psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 8(2), 5-34. Kegan, R.
(1982). The evolving self: Problems and process in human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Kegan, R. (1994). In over our heads: The mental demands of modern life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Miller, P. (2012). Leader Development - what we know and where to now. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Theory and
Practice, 34(1), 61-64.
Roberts, L. M., Dutton, J. E., Spreitzer, G. M., Heaphy, E. D., & Quinn, R. E. (2005). Composing the Reflected Best-Self Portrait:
Building Pathways for Becoming Extraordinary in Work Organizations.pdf. Academy of Management Review, 30(4), 712-736.
Rooke, D., & Torbert, W. R. (2005). 7 transformations of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 83(4), 1-12.
Shamir, B., & Eilamb, G. (2005). What’s your story? A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. The Leadership
Quarterly(16), 395–417.
Torbert, B., Cook-Greuter, S. R., Fisher, D., Foldy, E., Gauthier, A., Keeley, J., . . . Tran, M. (2004). Action Inquiry. San
Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.