Excerpt – Chapter 17: How HR Leaders Can Nurture Ei and Social Development
Awareness is a strong enabler, and meditation is a great way to self-reflect to initiate the process of broadening your awareness.
Resolving your past to understand your life skills As this objective is all about self-reflection and being comfortable in your own skin, set aside time for yourself, to begin to contemplate and appreciate who you are. If you need help in this area, try mindfulness or read personal development methods or books that resonate with you (chapter 18), to understand what defines you.
Emotional expansion and learning trust The ability to trust is a measure of our emotional maturity and self-awareness. Reflection and mindfulness improve our self-control, objectivity, tolerance, spontaneity, equanimity, concentration, mental clarity, emotional awareness and the ability to engage with kindness, acceptance and compassion. Our belief system and coping mechanisms may be naive and unrealistic. They should be revisited as we discover our independence, reveal our life skills, and come to know essentially who we are. To discover our authentic, self-aware selves, we must appreciate what is factual, and understand what our true role in life is. This role fuels our passion.
SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SELF-REFLECTION BEFORE SELF-AWARENESS
Mindfulness is a fantastic tool to help with self-reflection. Mindful meditation improves the executive function of the brain, where we process information and regulate emotions. Mindfulness is also an important tool to coach managers in Ei and self-awareness, and for relating to staff better. Over-thinking situations and stress inhibit our listening ability so that we miss important nuances. A lack of self-confidence may also hold us back.
Self-reflection, caring and showing vulnerability are important first steps to engaging feelings and intuition. When we learn to trust our ability and instincts, we can centre ourselves in the moment and communicate more effectively. Self-awareness means trusting our instincts and understanding a lifetime of learning associations, but also allows us to focus on the bigger picture.
Although a catchword nowadays, being authentic is a product of self-awareness and demonstrates we know ourselves inside out. Set development goals that include mindfulness and emotional intelligence, and, if necessary, employ a coach or mentor to help gain your clarity of purpose and to interpret your motivators and passion. The pre-launch purchase of my book “Best Behaviour” ($39.95+ph) has begun. Please purchase at www.tonyholmwood.com/shop.
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