Self-aware leadership opens the doors to better communication, enhanced engagement, and increased leadership effectiveness. Self-aware leaders connect with their team members on more profound, more meaningful levels since they understand their employees’ emotional triggers.

Leaders like Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg are the embodiment of self-awareness-based leadership success.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle.

Self-awareness is knowing and understanding oneself and the foundation of intelligent, healthy, sustainable, and transformational leadership. What does it mean to know and understand yourself?

How does self-aware leadership impact performance?

In this post, I dissect several aspects of self-aware leadership from the perspective of a leadership coaching specialist. I discuss the benefits of self-awareness and ways to develop self-aware leadership.

I consider concrete examples of self-aware leadership to support my observations and self-awareness-wise experiences as a leadership coach.

There is nothing easy or automatic about knowing yourself.

Leading from Within

Self-awareness in leadership is one of the most critical yet overlooked factors in determining success. It shapes how leaders make decisions, communicate, and interact with their teams.

Leaders who understand their strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and behaviors are better equipped to inspire and guide others. Without self-awareness, blind spots emerge, causing ineffective leadership, poor decision-making, and disengaged employees.

Self-aware leaders possess a deep understanding of their motivations, emotional triggers, and thought processes. This awareness allows them to regulate their emotions, respond rather than react, and create an environment of trust and authenticity.

In contrast, leaders who lack self-awareness may struggle with impulsive decision-making, miscommunication, and an inability to recognize how their actions impact those around them.

To be self-aware means to know and understand your:

• Emotions and emotional triggers
• Beliefs and values
• Thoughts
• Motivations
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Desires
• Identity

Understanding Self-awareness

Self-aware leadership builds upon human consciousness as the engine of emotional intelligence, personal growth, optimal communication, and meaningful relationships.

Self-awareness allows leaders to harness their emotional intelligence, becoming more adaptable and authentic. Understanding yourself is the key to understanding others and navigating complex relationships more effectively. Leaders who master the dynamics of interpersonal relationships engage, motivate, and inspire their teams more effectively.

I consider self-awareness and emotional intelligence two cornerstones of effective, fearless leadership.

In my leadership coaching books and posts, I have defined self-awareness as the ability to be introspective and recognize feelings as they occur. I have always considered self-awareness to be the key to self-confidence. Self-awareness allows leaders to exercise self-regulation, management, and empathy.

Self-awareness unlocks social skills, motivating leaders to pursue their goals with passion. These inner-core leadership traits combine to form emotional intelligence, creating an outer-core leadership competency that boosts leaders’ ability to engage, motivate, and inspire their teams.

Emotional intelligence is an essential element of leaders’ predictive loop, continuously calibrating and recalibrating their inner and outer core leadership competencies. Self-awareness, a core component of emotional intelligence, requires constant reassessment and recalibration.

Self-aware leadership is a journey and lifestyle rather than a destination.

Self-aware leadership is a continuous journey.

“Self-awareness is a never-ending journey…It’s a tank that can always be filled up more.” – Lee Eisenstaedt.

Self-aware leaders confidently know where they are and how they can seize opportunities to improve and get to where they want to be.

The Power of Self-Awareness: A Key to Transformational Leadership

The connection between self-awareness and leadership outcomes is undeniable.

Leaders who cultivate self-awareness are more adaptable, open to feedback, and can confidently navigate challenges. They can assess situations objectively, adjust their leadership style accordingly, and foster a culture of continuous growth.

This level of awareness enhances their ability to lead effectively, making them more influential and respected.

However, developing self-awareness in leadership is not an overnight process. It requires ongoing reflection, intentional practice, and a willingness to seek feedback.

Self-Awareness and the Development of Leadership Style

One key benefit of self-awareness leadership is developing an authentic and effective leadership style. Every leader has a unique approach to management, but without self-awareness, they may struggle to find the style that best aligns with their strengths and values.

Some leaders may naturally excel at transformational leadership, inspiring others with vision and motivation, while others may be more strategic and results-driven.

By developing self-awareness, leaders can refine their leadership styles to better connect with their teams, improve decision-making, and create a more engaging work environment.

The Two Types of Self-Awareness in Leadership

Leaders who understand their motivations, strengths, values, and aspirations are internally self-aware. Understanding how other people see them and their personalities is external self-awareness.

External self-awareness requires conscious effort. To achieve this level of self-awareness, we must overcome our natural tendency to be self-centered. Self-awareness, as essential as it is in the grand scheme of leadership, can be detrimental if we fail to transcend our self-related limitations.

“If we do not come to understand the error in the way we think, our self-awareness, which is our greatest blessing, is also our downfall.” – Joko Beck.

Most leaders believe they understand themselves well, yet research suggests that many overestimate their level of self-awareness. This gap between perception and reality can lead to poor decision-making and ineffective leadership. Leadership development programs emphasize self-awareness because it directly impacts leaders’ ability to communicate, inspire, and manage their teams effectively.

Self-awareness is not a singular concept—it consists of two critical components that successful leaders must develop: internal and external.

Internal Self-Awareness

• Internal self-awareness refers to how well a leader understands their emotions, values, and motivations.
• Leaders with strong internal self-awareness can identify their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to play to their strengths while actively improving their limitations.
• It enhances emotional regulation, helping business leaders stay composed under pressure and make rational, strategic decisions rather than reacting impulsively.
• Internal self-awareness also supports long-term goal setting. Leaders who deeply understand their priorities and values are more likely to stay aligned with their vision.

External Self-Awareness

• External self-awareness is the ability to recognize how others perceive you as a leader.
• Leaders who lack external self-awareness may unknowingly create toxic work environments, micromanage their teams, or communicate in ways that disengage employees.
• Strong external self-awareness enables business leaders to adapt their leadership styles to different personalities, improving collaboration and team morale.
• It encourages humility, as leaders who recognize gaps between their self-perception and how others perceive them are more open to feedback and growth.

How Self-Awareness Impacts Essential Leadership Skills

Self-awareness boosts decision-making, relationship-building, and communication.

Self-aware leaders understand their values, priorities, and long-term goals. This clarity confers them a distinct advantage when making well-aligned decisions. Such leaders know their blind spots and biases and account for them when striving for objective decisions. They also understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Self-awareness gives leaders authenticity and trustworthiness. Genuine, trustworthy individuals connect seamlessly with others and build deep relationships.

Self-awareness allows leaders to understand their communication styles and tailor their communication to suit the circumstances. For a self-aware leader, active listening is natural. Those who understand their emotions and reactions are more likely to control them and focus on understanding others.

Listening and empathy-based leadership understands and defuses conflicts more effectively.

Benefits of Self-Awareness in Leadership

Enabling leaders to make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and build meaningful relationships begets many benefits of which the most impactful are:

• Emotional intelligence. Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence. It enables people to understand their emotions and emotional triggers. Self-awareness plays an essential role in empathy, self-regulation, and interpersonal relationships. Self-aware people find it easy to understand others’ emotions and emotional triggers.
• Enhanced communication. Self-aware, emotionally intelligent leaders understand the place and value of active listening. These skills build a solid foundation for empathy, clarity in expression, and reading body language and other nonverbal communication cues. Self-aware leaders also understand communication styles and know how to adjust their verbal and nonverbal communication based on the circumstances.
• Conflict resolution. Self-awareness allows leaders to acknowledge and account for different perspectives, emotions, and emotional triggers. Such leaders can communicate effectively and empathetically, focusing on the interests and needs of the parties embroiled in the conflict. The transparency and openness that self-awareness enables, create a culture of trust and cooperation conducive to effective conflict resolution based on honest, genuine communication.

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence are indispensable prerequisites of authentic, inspirational leadership. Leadership authenticity facilitates trust-based organizational cultures that value cooperation, mutual assistance, and accountability.

In addition to making better decisions and meaningful connections with their employees, self-aware leaders are also:

• More observant
• Perceptive
• Responsive
• Discerning

How Self-Awareness Enables Leaders to Succeed

One of the most significant ways self-awareness enhances leadership success is through improving leadership skills.

Self-aware leaders can recognize their areas for growth and actively work to develop the competencies needed to manage people, resolve conflicts, and drive business success.

They are also better equipped to assess and refine their communication skills, ensuring their messaging is clear, impactful, and aligned with their team’s needs.

Self-awareness also plays a crucial role in refining a leader’s organizational skills. Leaders who lack self-awareness may be overwhelmed by competing priorities, struggle to delegate or fail to recognize inefficiencies in their workflows. On the other hand, self-aware leaders have a heightened ability to manage their time, set realistic goals, and align their daily actions with long-term business objectives.

Another key benefit of self-awareness in leadership is its role in personal growth. The best leaders never stop learning; self-awareness provides the foundation for continuous improvement.

Leaders who actively reflect on their experiences and seek feedback can make meaningful adjustments to their leadership approach.

This commitment to self-improvement fosters resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset—essential for long-term success.

Developing Self-Awareness as a Leader

Given its impact on effective team leadership, self-awareness is a prized leadership attribute worthy of intentional development. As a leadership coaching expert, I aim to provide my clients with the tools and knowledge that help them establish and develop their self-awareness.

Here’s what you can do to sharpen this all-important leadership ability.

• Reflection. Self-awareness requires constant introspection and self-reflection. Knowing yourself is an ongoing process that depends on variables like your evolving beliefs, the behaviors they dictate, and the resulting internal standards.
• Feedback. As the leader of a team or organization, you have a significant impact on others. As a self-aware leader on a continuous journey of self-reflection, you want to know how others perceive and react to you. You also want to know what you can do to influence others. Your best option for objective self-assessment is to request impartial feedback from others. You need feedback from parties who are unafraid to give you an honest picture of what you look like to them. You can also use 360-degree feedback to gain an accurate picture of your leadership presence and influence.
• Personality assessments. You can use tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or DISC to learn about your leadership personality. You can also use my Mattone Leadership Enneagram Inventory (MLEI) to establish your leadership inclinations based on your personality.

Mindfulness allows you to pay more attention to internal processes, enhance your emotional awareness, and reduce reactivity. Practicing mindfulness exercises like yoga or meditation can help you connect with your deepest self, reducing stress and improving your resilience.

Self-Awareness in Action: Case Studies

Nelson Mandela embodies forgiveness and humility on the global leadership scene. His extraordinary self-awareness was a considerable driving force behind his leadership accomplishments. He acknowledged his shortcomings, such as his predisposition for resentment and anger, and never ceased working to overcome them.

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg is another high-profile leader who has mastered self-awareness and the art of learning from her mistakes.

A true scholar of transformational leadership, she is an unshakeable optimist with outstanding communication skills. Her self-awareness and well-developed emotional intelligence have made her an agile learner who is keen to show empathy and understand multiple perspectives.

“We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”- Sheryl Sandberg.

Building Self-Awareness Through Executive Coaching

The Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching program provides a proven framework for building self-awareness and leadership effectiveness. Through a structured, personalized approach, leaders:

• Identify Strengths and Blind Spots – Executive coaching includes leadership assessments, such as the Mattone Leadership Enneagram Inventory (MLEI) or the Strategic-Tactical Leadership Index (STLI), which provide deep insights into leadership strengths, limitations, and behavioral tendencies.
• Gain External Perspective – A coach provides objective feedback, helping leaders recognize habits, biases, and emotional triggers that may hold them back.
• Develop Emotional Intelligence – By understanding their emotions and reactions, leaders improve their ability to manage relationships, communicate effectively, and make sound decisions.
• Refine Leadership Style – Coaching helps leaders align their leadership approach with personal values and organizational goals, ensuring authenticity and impact.
• Implement Real-World Strategies – Coaching is not just about self-reflection—it’s about taking action. Leaders receive customized strategies to practice self-awareness.

Building self-awareness through executive coaching accelerates the growth journey. It helps leaders develop the clarity, confidence, and emotional intelligence needed to inspire their teams and drive organizational success.

Conclusion: Self-Awareness as the Key to Leadership Success

Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence and intelligent leadership. Self-aware leadership is not a destination but a journey that requires continuous introspection and self-reflection. As a surefire method of self-discovery, self-awareness is an indispensable prerequisite for improvement.

Leaders who aspire to improve must prioritize self-awareness as an essential development component.

Self-awareness allows leaders to understand themselves and others and effect positive changes in themselves and others. Being self-aware is the starting point of all intelligent leadership skills.

Organizations that invest in leadership development must emphasize the importance of self-awareness. Encouraging leaders to cultivate self-awareness benefits individual growth and strengthens company culture and overall business success. The most effective leaders truly understand themselves—and use that awareness to lead with authenticity, purpose, and impact.

Schedule your free discovery session with John Mattone Global today and start your journey toward greater self-awareness, stronger leadership capabilities, and lasting impact.

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