Today, if you approach anyone and asks if they are aware of their self, probability indicates that, most people will respond affirmatively. Statistics show that 75% will commence by telling their names, intellectual status, and job titles. !5% will indicate their repertoire of temperaments of likes and dislikes. The rest will describe their self-awareness in the context of oneness with the divine spirit or universe. However, do they understand the concept of self-awareness and its operations? The self-awareness discussed in this paper propels deeper than the set of beliefs and ideologies.
The art of self-awareness and continued self-development has been explored for quite some time by various scholars. Asendorpf (2002) attributes self-awareness to having a clear perception of one’s personality as well as strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Asendorpf (2002) articulates that, self-awareness allows one to understand other people. It enables one to know how people perceive you, your attitude towards them and your responses to them in general to a particular subject.
Giddens, 2013, on the other hand, attributes self-development to an act of committing oneself to improve your knowledge and understanding throughout your career. Realizing personal awareness in a managerial position is quite critical in an organization. Their decisions carry much weight and can steer the organization forward. So it is imperative for a manager to be conscious and self-aware of his decisions and actions of the organization. Giddens (2013) provides that, though the qualities of a successful manager may vary according to different circumstances, managers should not overlook the importance of self-awareness. He believes that this is an essential factor to attaining success not only by the manager but to the entire company. According to Fonagy, Gergely & Jurist (2004), the need for self-awareness and continuous self-development results to excellent management.
Varied documentary records indicate that an effective manager must be conscious of his/her strengths and weaknesses as well as of others in the organization to actively take other's strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. He additionally affirmed that an effective manager is self-aware of their responsibilities and always knows how to manage organizations. Self-awareness helps people understand what motivates them and their passion for something. It points us to what is the work, which we want, and we work more enthusiastically and more efficiently. That will lead to their self-development to more complete. In this view, Luthans & Peterson (2002, argued that the success of continuous self- development relies on self-awareness and an accurate appraisal of one‟ strengths and weaknesses.
Subsequently, studies reveal that, majority of managers’ fall short of been successful due to poor relationships with their peers and lack of been aware that their results are influenced by their ability to motivate others. Suffice to say, been mandated with the responsibility to deal with situations requiring critical decisions, managers often feel stressed and frustrated whereby these emotions affect how the managers and colleagues respond to each another.
Cella et al, 2014 in their work points out that, awareness of such emotions allows managers to improve emotional awareness. Self-awareness will enable managers to recognize and control their emotions in order to avoid being overly harsh in conversations and alienating their employees. Thus, emotional awareness mainly compasses one`s ability to manage his relationships with others. Therefore, grasping its functions makes it become one of the core fundamental factors of being a successful manager.
Research studies further indicate that, sometimes managers often find themselves in caught up in circumstances that compromise their personal values in order to meet company goals. However, managers who are self-aware of their values, have a well-developed set of principles that enable them to perform better and be more successful. This self-awareness of one’s moral principles helps managers in making decisions that do not compromise their morality and put the company objectives in jeopardy (Luthans & Avolio, 2003).
Additionaly, Luthans & Peterson (2002), provides that, a manager who is not aware of his/her blind spots is a disaster in the workplace. According to Luthans & Peterson (2002), self-development is achieved by seeking feedback from relevant individuals and using it positively. For managers, this feedback can be obtained through colleagues. The reference to the feedbacks helps managers have a solid understanding of them. It would also in return aid them in setting clear goals that would improve the company’s performance. Self-development leads to an exploration of self-knowledge, identity, and development of our full potential with a view to fulfilling the criteria for a successful manager (Hunter, 2011).
It is necessary for any manager who wants to be successful to incorporate the art of self-awareness and self-development to climb high up the success ladder. When you have self-awareness the manager can control his/her emotions, know what is expected of him/her and much more make decisions that are self-conscious and helpful to the company (Hunter, 2011).
References
Asendorpf, J. B. (2002). Self-awareness, other-awareness, and secondary representation. The imitative mind: Development, evolution, and brain bases, 63-7
Cella, M., Swan, S., Medin, E., Reeder, C., & Wykes, T. (2014). Metacognitive awareness of cognitive problems in schizophrenia: Exploring the role of symptoms and self-esteem.
Giddens, A. (2013). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. John Wiley & Sons.
Hunter, M. (2011). PERPETUAL SELF CONFLICT: SELF AWARENESS AS A KEY TO OUR ETHICAL DRIVE, PERSONAL MASTERY, AND PERCEPTION OF ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, 3(2), 96-137.
Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. (2003). Authentic leadership development. Positive organizational scholarship, 241, 258.
Luthans, F., & Peterson, S. (2002). Employee engagement and manager self‐efficacy. Management Development Journal, 21(5), 376-387.
SELF-AWARENESS IN DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE. (2006). Monographs Of The Society For Research In Child Development, 71(2), 1-28.
