On the Self-Awareness Superhighway, June '24
Reflections Newsletter: Looking Back to Go Forward
👋🏼 Welcome
Hello KSKOers and welcome to new subscribers!
June has been an excellent month of warmer days, family visits and getting outside. I had my first book signing which was just lovely, and podcast interviews galore, as well as conferences, festivals and award ceremonies! I joined Turab, Aoife O’Brien and David Hall on their shows talking about leadership, self-awareness and introversion too.
Here’s a quick look at what’s in store in this month’s Reflections Newsletter…
📒 Book News: THE SELF-AWARENESS SUPERHIGHWAY
🎙️ Podcast News: ‘The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast’ in June
💡 5 Top Tips to Build your Self-Awareness - Behaviour
📖 Book Review: ‘Inclusive Leadership: Navigating Organisational Complexity’ by Sile Walsh
👥 Learning and Sharing: Events in June
🔭 Forward view to July ‘24 - including a 💝book sale💝announcement!
📒 Book News: THE SELF-AWARENESS SUPERHIGHWAY
In June, I had my very first book signing event at St Davids Bookshop in the littlest city in the westernmost corner of Pembrokeshire, South Wales, UK. I was joined by the Mayor, local councillors, friends and family. I gifted a copy to Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi as a thank you to past teachers who helped me develop a love of reading and writing.
A little word from you means a big deal to me! The book now has nine amazing reviews across Amazon, Goodreads and Instagram. Remember, if you have read the book, please leave a rate and review. Rates and reviews are critical to the book’s ranking, promotion and reach! Thank you!
🎙️ Podcast news: ‘The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast’ in June
In June, I was joined by Matt Dunsmoor talking about values, culture and authenticity, Lisa Nordquist talking about the brain-body link, Dr Sarah Ratekin discussing grit and gratitude for Happiness and Dr Paul Furey talking about having open conversations in the Board room. Check out the top takeaways from each episode….
Call for Top Podcast Guests: I’m looking for guests who talk the talk and walk the walk! If you are a CEO or senior leader in your organisation, join me to talk about your self-awareness journey and the twists, turns and lightbulb moments you’ve had along the way. Drop me a line at: info@knowinselfknowingothers.co.uk
💡 5 Top Tips to Build your Self-Awareness
Let’s consider self-awareness through the lens of behaviour - specifically modelling behaviour, which is the seventh direction of my self-awareness compass. Here are 5 top tips on how to develop your self-awareness practice with behaviour modelling in mind:
Lead by Example: Exhibit Desired Behaviours - Understand that every action you take as a leader is scrutinised and emulated by your team. Deliberately model behaviours that align with the values and standards you want to promote within your organisation. For instance, if punctuality is important, ensure you are consistently on time for meetings.
Practice Presence and Attention: Avoid Multitasking - Be fully present during interactions. Demonstrate attentiveness and respect by avoiding distractions like checking your phone during conversations. This not only shows respect for the person you are engaging with but also sets a standard for others to follow in their interactions.
Foster Positive Emotional Contagion: Display Positive Attitudes - Recognise that emotions and attitudes are contagious. By consistently displaying positive, supportive, and constructive behaviour, you can influence the overall mood and attitude of your team. This creates a more collaborative and positive work environment.
Address Unacceptable Behaviour Promptly: Set Clear Boundaries - Do not tolerate or ignore poor behaviour. Address issues directly and constructively to maintain high standards. This includes handling difficult conversations about negative behaviours to prevent them from becoming normalised within your team or organisation.
Promote Ethical Leadership: Reflect on Your Actions and Impact - Regularly reflect on your behavior and its impact on others. Ensure that your actions are ethical and align with the values of the organisation. Encourage transparency and accountability by admitting mistakes and learning from them, which fosters a culture of integrity and trust.
By focusing on these tips, you can develop self-aware leadership that positively influences your team and shapes a constructive and ethical organisational culture.
A Way of Being: My Reflections on 'Inclusive Leadership: Navigating Organisational Complexity' by Sile Walsh
👥 Learning and Sharing: Events in June
June has been full of meetings, conferences and celebrations. As you might already know, ‘what’ I do, is that I’m a Director of a Children’s Charity (‘how’ I do it is through self-aware leadership). Many of the events I’ve attended this month have been linked to my role. I’ve been to three annual conferences and an awards ceremony, as well as a week long community festival. One of those events was the Social Minds, Social Club annual conference - ‘Forward Facing Futures’..
It was hosted by the very brilliant Dr. Craig Dearden-Phillips MBE. There were brilliant speakers like Dr Helen Paterson from Northumberland Council talking about partnership working and collaboration. Max D. sharing his learning at Redemption Roasters and supporting prisoners and past-offenders. Liz Choonara sharing inspirational forward thinking innovations at Crisis. Neil Sartorio from Earnst and young, taking us on a journey through time and leadership through a political lens. Sean Williams from Autogen AI taking us on a journey of AI development and discussing future utility. Sat S. of Renaissance Foundation, wowing us with his passion, connections and achievements. Alison Hopkins MBE RN MSc from Accelerate CIC sharing her experiences as a charity founder and CEO. Lesley Dixon from PSS sharing her wisdom and inspiring feedforward questions. We were also treated to some amazing music by InHouse Records UK. All hosted at the superb EY offices. It was a thoroughly brilliant day
🔭 Forward view to July ‘24
In July I’ll be delivering a workshop at Create Coworking space, which I’m really excited about. I’ll also be planning year 3 of The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast - yes YEAR 3!!! I’ll be shifting episode releases from weekly to fortnightly so that I can spend some more time writing blog posts and thought pieces. I’ll tell you more about that in next month’s newsletter!
July will be my book’s 4th month of release, so I’ll be celebrating by making the eBook £4 for the whole month! Get your copy here!
