OTL Newsletter - The most important, yet elusive leadership trait

 Hi! 👋 I'm Donna Lin, Founder of On Target Learnings. I am an award winning sales leader and former Area VP at Salesforce ☁️ and Director at American Express. I tackle topics related to sales, leadership and accelerating your career.  

Observation 🧐

Self-aware leaders are more effective at managing teams.

While Sales prowess may land you a management role, it's self-awareness that often determines whether you'll succeed or struggle in leading others.

Self-awareness in leadership isn't just about understanding your own thoughts and emotions – it's about recognizing how your behaviours, decisions, and communication style impact those around you. 

Research consistently shows that self-aware leaders are more effective at managing teams, handling conflicts, and driving organizational success. 

This is because they're better equipped to recognize their limitations, acknowledge mistakes, and adapt their leadership style to different situations and team members.

Simply put, high-performing sales teams are led by leaders who recognize how their behaviours influence both team performance and customer relationships.

The Self-Awareness Paradox

Here's where things get interesting – and somewhat uncomfortable. While 95% of people believe they're self-aware, research by organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich reveals that only 10-15% of people actually are. 

This stunning gap represents one of leadership's great ironies: we lack the self-awareness to recognize our lack of self-awareness.

This blindspot means new managers may struggle with self-awareness, but they're also likely to overestimate their capabilities in this area. 

This overconfidence can lead to sales leader who: 

• Forces their personal selling style onto their team
• Fails to see why their coaching resonates with some reps but fails with others
• Becomes defensive in response to feedback
• Resists personal development

Gauging Your Self-Awareness

How can you tell where you fall on the self-awareness spectrum? Here are several key indicators:

👉 Feedback receptivity: Do you actively seek feedback from others? More importantly, how do you respond when receiving unexpected or critical feedback? 

✅ Self-aware leaders don't just listen to feedback – they actively seek it out and reflect on it without becoming defensive.

👉 Decision-making patterns: Can you articulate the reasoning behind your decisions? 

✅ Self-aware leaders understand their own biases and decision-making patterns, and they can explain their thought processes to others.

👉 Emotional intelligence: How well do you recognize and manage your emotional responses in challenging situations? 

✅ Self-aware leaders can identify their emotional triggers and regulate their responses effectively.

👉 Impact awareness: Do you regularly consider how your actions and decisions affect others? 

✅ Self-aware leaders understand their influence on team dynamics and organizational culture.

Building Greater Self-Awareness

Developing self-awareness is a journey, not a destination. Here are practical tactics to enhance your self-awareness as a leader:

 ✨Practice regular reflection: 

Set aside dedicated time each week to reflect on your leadership experiences. What worked well? What could have been handled differently? What patterns do you notice in your behavior and decision-making?

✨Keep a leadership journal: 

Document your reflections and take notes of challenges, successes, and learning moments. This practice helps identify patterns in your leadership style and decision-making processes over time.

✨Work with a mentor or coach: 

External perspective is invaluable for developing self-awareness. A trusted mentor or professional coach can help you identify blind spots and develop strategies for growth.

✨Establish feedback loops: 

Create structured opportunities for both formal and informal feedback from your team, peers, and supervisors. Consider implementing 360-degree feedback assessments to gain a comprehensive view of your leadership impact.

Or, consider leveraging a framework like the The Johari Window 👇

Thought Starter 🤔

A framework for building Self Awareness is The Johari Window. Each pane reveals different aspects of how you show up at work.

🤗The Open Area (Known to Self and Others)

What everyone sees and knows about your leadership style. Your visible behaviours, known skills, and obvious strengths. 

Example: Your enthusiasm during sales meetings or your direct communication style

🧑‍🦯The Blind Spot (Unknown to Self, Known to Others)

Behaviours and traits others observe but you don't recognize. The impact you have on others without realizing it. 

Example: Coming across as intimidating during deal reviews without knowing it

🔒The Hidden Area (Known to Self, Unknown to Others)

Aspects you consciously keep private. Thoughts, feelings, or experiences you haven't shared

Example: Your concerns about hitting targets or doubts about certain decisions

❓The Unknown Area (Unknown to Self and Others)

Untapped potential and undiscovered talents. Unconscious behaviours and hidden biases.

Example: Natural abilities you haven't yet discovered or tested

How to Use the Johari Window for Growth

Take these practical steps to expand your self-awareness:

1️⃣ Expand Your Open Area

Share your thoughts and rationale behind decisions

Be transparent about your leadership philosophy

Talk openly about lessons learned from past mistakes

2️⃣ Reduce Your Blind Spots

Ask for specific feedback after important meetings

Use 360-degree assessments

Record and review your coaching sessions

Set up regular skip-level meetings

3️⃣ Manage Your Hidden Area

Strategically share appropriate vulnerabilities

Build trust through controlled disclosure

Show your team how to learn from failures

4️⃣ Explore Your Unknown Area

Take on new challenges outside your comfort zone

Experiment with different leadership approaches

Seek mentoring in unfamiliar areas

The goal isn't to eliminate every blind spot or share everything in your hidden area. It's to strategically expand your open area to become a more effective leader.

Love 🥰

My favourite Leadership Journal is actually a gratitude journal with a section for reflections on the day. I capture “Highlights of the Day” and “What did I learn today”.

Not only does a journal help you become more self aware, but it is also an instrumental tool to find patterns of what gives you energy in your work (and what drains you). 

The Five Minute Journal