On the Self-Awareness Superhighway, July '24
Reflections Newsletter: Looking Back to Go Forward
šš¼ Welcome
Hello KSKOers and welcome to new subscribers!
July has disappeared in a blink. Charity life has been very busy throughout July. Have I mentioned that āwhatā I do is Iām a director in a childrenās charity and āhowā I do it is through self-aware leadership? In the UK, the school summer holidays start around the third week of July. You have to pack the work of a month into three weeks. That way youāre ready for the post-holiday marathon that takes you from September to Christmas. During July Iāve published and guested on some podcasts, written an article about humanism and digitalism and Iām getting ready to do things differently from September!
Hereās a quick look at whatās in this monthās Reflections Newsletterā¦
š Book News: THE SELF-AWARENESS SUPERHIGHWAY
šļø Podcast News: āThe Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcastā
š” 5 Top Tips to Build your Self-Awareness
š Article: Hyper-humanism and Ultra-digitalism
š„ Events in July
š Forward View to August ā24
š Book News: THE SELF-AWARENESS SUPERHIGHWAY
July was the fourth month of my bookās journey out into the world! In celebration, Iāve shared my ebook on sale for Ā£4 per month. That means you have until midnight on the 31st July to get your copy before it goes back up to Ā£9.99!
The book has also got a number of new reviews too, which are so very welcomed and appreciated!
āThis is an excellent addition to the bookshelf for any leader. My key takeaway was Dr Nia Thomas' observation that reflection is one of the key behaviours for effective leadership. Introverts think-talk-think, and extroverts talk-think-talk, which means introverts are practising reflection 66% of the time, while extroverts have to work harder at reflecting. In an organizational context, an effective and self-aware leader needs to stay attuned to these sorts of differences in contribution and decision making, and to ensure quiet voices are not drowned out by the noise.ā
āI loved how cleverly the author explained her leadership philosophy with the analogy of a journey ā and found the ideas within really interesting and accessible ā I will definitely be putting some of them into practiceā
āI really like the easy reading style and how you are introduced to the three layer self-awareness definition of Reflection, Recognition and Regulation resonate and through the 9 chartable compass points one can undertake a human-centred voyage to their desired destination. A good mix of personal examples with broader academic and historical context. I invite you to explore your Self-Awareness Super Highway.ā
šļø Podcast news: āThe Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcastā in July
You can now text the show! Go to the show notes and click ātext the showā. It will auto-fill a text message so that you can join the discussion, be a part of the community and send messages to me or my guests. Weād love to hear from you!
In July, I was joined by Turab, well actually I joined him! Turab invited me on to his video show, and it was such a great conversation, I put I out as an audio podcast.
joined me, talking about transparent leadership and gaslighting, as well as discussing her experience of burnout. Adrian Ashton came on the show and shared his thoughts on imposter syndrome and, to close the month, Dr Amanda Brisebois talked to me about communication and learning from mediation techniques.Listen to all the shows with one click right here!
š” 5 Top Tips to Build your Self-Awareness
Letās consider self-awareness through the lens of listening, which is the eighth direction of my self-awareness compass. Here are 5 top tips on how to develop your self-awareness practice with listening in mind:
Create Inclusive Listening Environments: Developing self-awareness through effective listening involves creating an inclusive environment where every voice is valued. Foster spaces where both extroverts and introverts feel comfortable in speaking up. Virtual meetings can be particularly useful because features like virtual hand-raising ensures everyone has a chance to contribute.
Practice Active Listening: Active listening is crucial. Pay close attention not only to the words being spoken but also to the tone of whatās being said. My aware of body language, as a very large proportion of communication is through how people say things rather than what they say. Also be mindful of whatās being left unsaid too - sometimes what isnāt being said is the elephant in the room.
Respond Thoughtfully: Balancing the need to understand with the need to respond is key. While itās important to show humility and acknowledge when you donāt have all the answers, strive to provide thoughtful and timely responses. This demonstrates that you value the input of others and are committed to addressing their concerns.
Cultivate a Culture of Openness: Creating a culture of openness is essential for effective communication. Encourage feedback and listen to all voices, including those who may often be seen as complainers. These people can offer valuable insights and highlight important issues. Focus on the substance of their messages, over the way theyāre delivering the. Some peopleās messages can become confused by their mode of delivery. So if āhowā isnāt coming across well, listen in for the āwhatā.
Enhance Personal Listening Skills: Lastly, continually work on enhancing your personal listening skills. Recognise and address your own listening barriers, such as the tendency to interrupt or going headlong into problem solving when youāre really not clear on what the problem is yet. Practice asking open questions that promote deeper understanding, and maintain eye contact to show that you are fully engaged in the conversation. By refining these skills, you become a more effective and self-aware listener.
š Article:
Hereās an article that I wrote this month about the balancing act of humanism in the workplace as we move towards ultra-digitalism. From September, Iāll be writing more like this!
š„ Learning and Sharing: Events in July
I was really excited to be invited on to the Highly Relational Podcast with Robert Digings. Robert records his podcasts face to face, so I joined him in London to record in a fully fitted and kitted podcast recording studio. There were lights, there were mics, there were cables and even a sound engineer! The episode will be live in the autumn.
I joined Dan Dominguez for a Linkedin Live event at the end of the month. Another first for me! It was a great format! We recorded the interview 2 weeks before and then on premiere-day, we did a live intro and set the interview to play. Whilst it was playing, we were available to answer questions in the chat. Worked really well!!
Access all of my guest appearances via my website here
You may have heard of the RSA - The royal society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce. Iāve been a fellow for just over a year and not until the very end of July did I manage to get in to RSA House in central London - a stoneās throw from the Savoy. Itās a lovely building with lots of working space and co-working tables. It has a lovely coffee shop with the BEST gluten free chocolate cake. It also has a little library and I was very surprised and delighted to find my book on the shelf!
š Forward view to August ā24
Iām taking it steady over August and capitalising on the less busy charity days to take long weekends and do short weeks. Iāve got no podcast recordings in the diary. Instead, Iām going to be writing and getting ready for September.
In September, The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast will be 2 years old! In year 3, episodes will shift from weekly to fortnightly, so that I have more time to write. I will be introducing fortnightly āKnowing Self-Aware Leadershipā articles like Ultra-digitalism and Hyper-humanism above, providing you with deeper insights on self-aware leadership and valuable perspectives on the world of work.
