Dr Shamol Miah

Self-awareness varies depending on the situation and personality (Crisp & Turner, 2010). It’s a psychological state where people are conscious of their traits, feelings, and behaviors. It’s a reflection of oneself as a whole, meaning being aware of our moods and thoughts. Self-awareness is the ongoing attention to one’s internal state, allowing individuals to observe and investigate their progress (Goleman, 2004). Emotional awareness enables managers to motivate themselves and others, as well as understand the emotions of others. Inner state responses in self-awareness can be non-reactive and non-judgmental (Mayor & Salovey, 1995). To succeed in management, essential skills are required, including personal competence, interpersonal skills, and group skills. Among these, personal competence is crucial for a successful manager, and self-awareness is a fundamental area for development (David A. Whetten, Kim S. Cameron, p15, 2007).

Managers face barriers to developing self-awareness due to high work pressure, long hours, and a fast pace, making it difficult to find time for thoughtful reflection (Caproni, 2012). Distances between managers and colleagues can hinder getting to know each other and sharing feedback for improvement. Stressful moments can be opportunities for learning and improving self-awareness, but time pressure often leads managers to revert to habitual ways of thinking, planning, and behaving (Caproni, 2012).

Conversely, a lack of self-awareness can lead to poor decision-making and the acquisition of poor competencies (Janasz et al., 2012). It also creates barriers that prevent managers from understanding their strengths and weaknesses in behavior, emotions, personality, attitude, values, and perception, among other aspects. Without self-awareness, managers are less able to assess themselves and others compared to those with higher self-awareness. To develop self-awareness, it is suggested to analyze behaviors, personality, attitude, and perception (Peck, 2007. Avolio & Gardners, 2005. Kallaith & Coghlan, 2001. Delmhorst, 2006, cited in Krauss et al., 2010).

Furthermore, managers can develop their knowledge through learning, which is a process that involves an individual’s integrated functioning of thinking, feeling, perceiving, and behaving (Kolb & Kolb, 2005). Coaching can be beneficial for managers and leaders, as it allows them and their colleagues to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses (Linda & Colff, 2003). Sharing feedback helps managers develop their strengths and weaknesses and improves their performance in the organization (Fletcher & Bailey, 2003). Giving feedback can be more beneficial than receiving it because it gives the giver an opportunity to understand others and notice their weaknesses, leading to self-improvement (Lundstrom & Baker, 2009). However, individuals with low self-awareness are less likely to provide feedback about themselves, which can negatively impact their careers and affect their work environment (Ashford, 1989).

Self-development is personal development achieved by individuals taking primary responsibility for their self-learning. It involves enriching and increasing one’s capacity and willingness to take control and become responsible for their actions (Pedler, et al., 2007). Continuous self-development’s success depends on maintaining high self-awareness (Peck, 2007. Avolio & Gardners, 2005. Kallaith & Coghlan, 2001. Delmhorst, 2006, cited in Krauss, Hamid et al., 2010).

Self-development is a continuous social process, where individuals develop themselves through continuous interaction with others (Buchanan, 2010). Effective managers follow others’ attitudes and behaviors and apply them to their own. Self-development is not possible without help from others. For successful learning, an effective manager must consider a structured approach. Self-development means knowing oneself and understanding how one’s experiences lead to success. It’s interconnected with professional development and is not a one-time event but a continuous process. It helps in developing contingency management skills (Nastasa & Cazan, 2013). Most managers learn from their work experiences, so more learning opportunities lead to better learning (Mumford, 1995). The primary objectives of a professional development plan (PDP) are monitoring, building, and reflecting on personal development. PDP is a well-known structural process in a management career, providing learning tools to acquire skills and knowledge. However, PDP can fail if goals are set unrealistically or lack motivation, facilities, support, recognition, and training (Patel et al., 2013).

References

• Nastasa,L.E., & Cazan,A.M. (2013).Personal and Professional Development of Beginners Psychologists. Procedia and Behavioral Science, 82, 781-785.
• Crisp,R.J., & Turner,R.N.(2010) Essential social psychology (2^nd ed.). London:Sage.
• Goleman, D. (2004). Emotional Intelligence (3^rd  ed.). London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
• Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1995). Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 4(3), 197-208.
• Whetten, D.A., & Cameron, K.S. (2007). Developing Management Skills (7^th ed.).New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
• Caproni, P.J. (2012). Management skills for everyday life: the practical coach (3^rd ed.).New Jersey
• Janasz, S., Dowd, K. & Schneider, B. (2012). Interpersonal skills in organizations (4^th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
• Krauss, S.E., Hamid, J.A.,& Ismail, I.A. (2010). Explaining Trait and Task Self-awareness in the Context of Leadership Development among Undergraduate Students from Malaysia.Leadership,6,13-19.doi: 10.1177/1742715009354236
• Church, A. (1997). Managerial Self-awareness in High-Performing Individuals in Organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82 (2), 281-292.
• Buchanan, D. & Huczynski, A. (2010). Developing Self (7^th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
• Bouner, T. (1996). Effective management and the development of self-awareness: a plain manager’s guide. Career Development International, 1 (4), 14-18.
• Ashford, S. (1989).self-assessments in organizations: a literature review and integrative model. Research in Organizational Behaviour, 11,133-174.
• Colff, L. (2003). Leadership lessons from the African tree. Management Decision. 41 (3), 257-261.
• Fletcher, C., Bailey. (2003). Assessing self-awareness: some issues and methods. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18 (5), 395-404.
• Lundstrom, K., Baker, W. (2009). To give is better than to receive: The benefits of peer review to the reviewer’s own writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 18, 30-43.
• Mumford, A. (1995). How Management help with development. Industrial and Commercial Training, 27 (8), 8-11.
• Patel, s., Kitchen, G., &  Barrie, J. (2013).Personal development plans- Practical pitfalls.Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical Care, 3, 220-223.
• Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J., & Boydell, T. (2007). A Manager’s Guide to Self-development (5^th ed.). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill.
• Atwater, L., & Yammarino. (1992). Does self-other agreement on leadership perceptions moderate the validity of leadership and performance predictions?.Personnel Psychology, 45 (1), 141-164.
• Kolb, A., & Kolb, D. (2005). The Kolb Learning Style Inventory version3.1.http://www.whitewater-rescue.com/support/pagepics/lsitechmanual.pdf