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What is Self-Awareness?

May 11, 2020 Firas Leave a Comment

The research suggests that people who are more self-aware are more motivated and can become better leaders. However, self-awareness is usually misunderstood.

In an HBR article, Sarah Eurich articulates two type self awareness.

Internal self-awareness which represent how clearly we see our own values, goals, strengths, areas of development, etc…
External self-awareness which represent how others perceive us in the context of these factors.

Of course, knowing ourselves is a hard process that can be complicated and overwhelming, but the when we start realizing how others see us, we start discovering our blind spots and learning more about ourselves.

The results are nicely articulated in the article which you can access here.

If you have not yet taken a step towards self-discovery, a good way to start is by reaching out to those who you really trust will give you an honest feedback and ask them to answer two questions about you. Ask them:

What is the one thing that I am really, ridiculously amazing at?
What is the one thing that I have to work on and develop that will make me a better person?

You will be amazed with what people who you trust and know you well could say. The more people you reach to, the more insights you will have.

Share your thought, leave a comment.

Common breaches in conference call etiquette

April 30, 2020 Firas Leave a Comment

We always heard of business etiquette, certain behaviors that we need to ensure we demonstrate and others we have to avoid. With the rise of conference calls, we started hearing about phone etiquette, which also applies to call centers, well, have you ever called your bank’s call center and heard almost everyone talking in the background?

Nowadays, the trend is virtual meetings and there is etiquette for these meetings.

Read the full blog on Robert Half advice here

Two of the 8 tips the author gives stand out for me.

Being Tardy to the Party. This is true. virtual meeting doesn’t happen in a meeting room across the office that we can reach in one minute. Technology, despite how fast and good the connection is, can behave in an unwanted way. I was joining a Zoom meeting last week, and for whatever reason, technology was not allowing me in. I ended up restarting my computer, connecting video through the laptop, and audio through my phone. Can you imagine how late I could have been if I didn’t intend to join the meeting 10 minutes earlier?
Multi-tasking. Even if the video is off (which it is encouraged to be on), and the audio is muted (which should be the case when you are not talking) doing something else while on the virtual meeting causes distraction to many. Thus, missing a topic or a point that was discussed. What are the odds that someone asks you to comment on what you have missed?

Read the full blog, share your thoughts!

4 Behaviors That Help Leaders Manage Through Crisis

April 7, 2020 Firas Leave a Comment

During crisis, employees look at their organizational leaders as trusted decision makers. Leaders on the other hand carry huge responsibility, they have to rise to the occasion, demonstrate exceptional behaviors during exceptional times and calculate the post-crisis aftermath.

HBR Article identified 4 behaviors that leaders need to demonstrate during this crisis:

Decide with speed over precision
Adapt boldly
Reliably deliver
Engage for impact

In my opinion, the first and last are the most important behaviors leaders need to demonstrate and be aware of. These are the behaviors that make all the difference.

Read the full article here

Share your thoughts, leave a comment.