To understand self-awareness, a good place to start would be to understand the inner workings of the brain itself. It is easiest to consider the human brain as a system of seven brains working together, (Peters, 2012). The human brain is incredibly complex, Professor Steve Peters suggests that three of the seven parts of the human brain form the ‘psychological mind’. The frontal, limbic and parietal, although he does state that this view dramatically simplifies things. These three parts are referred to by Peters as the human, the chimp and the computer. Under this theory, the human brain represents logical thought, the chimp is the emotional machine and the computer is the storage area for reference, accessed by the human brain when making decisions for example.
This chain of thought seeks to educate the reader to the fact that there are different sides to all of us, and these parts of our personality are not always in agreement with each other. The chimp is incredibly powerful and often overrides the logical or human side of our brain, leading to outbursts of emotion that are not always helpful, but designed to protect. Theoretically, as we grow the human brain becomes stronger as it has a larger frame of reference (the computer) to call upon when reacting to situations. However, there will always be times of stress and pressure where the chimp makes an appearance; once we are able to understand this point, we are better able to bring the chimp under control and utilise its strength.
Professor Peters admits himself that his theory does simplify the workings of the brain to enable better understanding, but knowing that our psyche is made up of interacting parts that create/cause differing reactions could help us control how we react in the future. An additional viewpoint on self-awareness is that of Daniel Goleman and his view on Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient as it also referred to. In his book, Goleman states that there are five pillars of Emotional Intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and social skills.
Here, the base level of understanding is awareness of our own emotional state and how this may impact/influence our current situation. Once we are able to understand our position, we can then begin to regulate those feelings and either control or utilise that response. Once we can regulate our own emotional state, we are in a better position to understand our level of motivation, being able to identify our own drivers, or our intrinsic motivators. It is suggested at this point we are then able to empathise with others and understand their viewpoint and response far better - leading to improved social skills.
In subsequent works with Tasha Eurich, a study into self-awareness was conducted with almost 5000 participants. They found there are two types of self-awareness - internal and external, with internal being our view of our own passions and values etc whilst external means how others view us in terms of the same categories. They also found that having high awareness on one side does not automatically mean high awareness on the other as well as identifying that leaders may wish to prioritise one form of awareness over another, but should work to develop both simultaneously. They concluded that internal self-awareness is associated with higher job and relationship satisfaction, whilst external self-awareness is generally associated with higher levels of empathy and the ability to see other people’s perspective.
Therefore, self-awareness is a complex issue with varying streams of thought regarding how important it actually is. As a coach, how can we expect coachees to understand and control their reactions/emotions if we are unable to do this ourselves? Greater self-awareness can be gained through time and effort and is a useful skill to develop for both leaders and coaches alike.
Action Point
Complete the checklist table below. Think about interactions during the week where you have learnt/identified something about yourself that is new to you, and that you previously had not identified.