Recently, with my colleague and friend Marcus Wylie, I co-hosted a live webinar to almost 1,000 Insights colleagues and customers on the topic of Defining Moments.
The webinar explored how Defining Moments, like the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, can shape our future for better or worse – depending on how we choose to respond.
Drawing on our combined 50 years’ experience in people development, Marcus and I were privileged to share our perspective on the current crisis and offer some ideas about how people and organisations can respond positively.
I was so inspired by the experience that I’ve put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to pose some questions that will, hopefully, stimulate our thinking, our decision-making and our creativity. And, time willing, help us get to the other side of this Defining Moment, stronger, more unified and more productive in in exciting new ways, than ever before.
The first question I found myself asking was, ‘What’s the one thing you can do right now, that if done well, can make a difference?’
For me, it’s simple, invest in becoming highly self-aware. And ensure you invest in developing the self-awareness of the people in your organisation.
Your self-aware people are your organisation’s competitive edge, because self-aware people are self-assured people. They make better decisions – quicker. They understand their workstyle to become more productive. They conduct relationships in a way that’s mutually beneficial and respectful. Their communications are designed for those around them, helping key messages land better. They know how to influence peers and leaders, can develop higher-value customer relationships, and are a voice of positivity within teams.
Developing self-aware people at every level of an organisation is a meaningful long-term investment. Self-aware people are active participants in teams and leadership programmes, which become easier to deliver, are more comprehensively implemented, and deliver value further into the future.
And the figures back this up. A study by Green Peak Partners and Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labour Relations examined leaders to identify predictors of executive success. The findings stated, “self-aware leaders with strong interpersonal skills deliver better financial performance.”
Invest in becoming highly self-aware and you’ll give your organisation, and your people, the best chance of success for the future.
Next week, I’m going to explore the idea of community – and that when times are tough, this is the very group you must seek out, be vulnerable with, and trust to help you get through it.
Until then, join us for our new weekly webinar series, at 3.30pm (UK time) on Thursday 2 April
Andy is Chief Executive Officer of Insights Group, where he guides us to fulfil the Insights purpose - to create a world where people truly understand themselves and others and are inspired to make a positive difference in everything they do.
