Self-awareness is attributed to success: the more self-awareness one has the greater the propensity for success.
“According to research by The Potential Project, self-awareness has a more positive impact on leadership than an MBA. The study evaluated more than 1,000 leaders in more than 800 companies across the world. The findings show that self-awareness encourages us to lead ourselves with authenticity and integrity — and in turn better lead others.” (Source: Gustavo Razzetti)
Should I get a refund on my MBA? 😳 😉 … of course not. The way I see it is this: I graduated with an MBA in 2005, it’s now 2021, if I did nothing to learn more about myself, leadership, leading self and others since graduating with the MBA, then I would equate that to avoidance and neglect of my development. Furthermore, studying for the MBA was not the same as learning about myself, my personal development in areas such as emotional intelligence, personality and behavioural styles, personal motivators and drivers.
Self-awareness is a lifelong journey and there are a diverse range of activities that can help increase and improve self-awareness.
From a self-leadership perspective, actively participating in exercises and activities that increase self-awareness, helps shift from simply smouldering to sputtering. Like a fire, when it sputters, it intermittently sparks which can rekindle the fire. Knowing is the first step, growing (applying the learning) is the next step.
Understanding your motivators is one approach to improving and expanding self-awareness.
Understanding your natural motivators puts in in a better position to pursue the right opportunities, for the right reasons, and get the results you desire.
Motivators are often thought of as things such as:
- Appreciation or recognition for a job well done
- Being in the know about company matters
- An understanding attitude from the management
- Job security
- Good wages
- Interesting work
- Career advancement opportunities
- Loyalty from management
- Good working conditions
- Tactful discipline
These are valuable to know and to identify. Reflecting on your own drivers and asking your team what motivates them is a great first step to understanding, comparing, and informing how you can engage. However looking at the motivators assessment based on the combined work of psychologists Dr. Eduard Spranger and Gordon Allport gives a comparative element to understanding motivators. In other words, if you and your management colleagues all assess or review your motivators through the same dimensions or drivers you are best placed to:
- understand yourself more;
- understand yourself as you fit amongst the team; and
- understand your team members motivators (helping you to better lead, engage or empower them)
In the Motivators assessment the seven drivers used are:
Looking at that list can you speculate your highest driver?
Knowing your drivers or motivators is the first step, it’s what you do with the information that will make the difference in your leadership.
There’s no good or bad drivers, simply different and understanding differences and preferences equips you so you can determine how to respond to situations intentionally. Knowing the current status means you can decide your growth opportunities.
If learning more about your drivers interests you, you’ll love the Motivators Mini Masterclass. As part of this masterclass you will:
- complete your own Motivator Assessment;
- explore your ranked seven drivers;
- discover what these seven drivers mean for you, your self-leadership, and leading your team;
- uncover professional and leadership development opportunities;
- receive the full Motivators Report; and
- participate in the 2 hour interactive Motivators Mini Masterclass.
When I first took the Motivators assessment I thought my number one driver would be Altruistic. The assessment results confirmed that, however the ranking order of the other drivers surprised me. What I learned from reviewing these has helped me understand how I operate, how I am triggered by others, and how I lead myself. A great self-awareness raising experience.
