Leading and managing a project requires not just technical competencies but also people-oriented skills that can engage team members and boost their morale. For example, a previous post entitled ‘Leading Your Business Through Organizational Change’ emphasizes the importance of addressing the human side of this situation, mainly by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each person in your team and managing resistance through conflict resolution.
In addition to these skills, project managers must possess self-awareness, which is crucial
regardless of how large your team is or what specific project you are working on. By developing professional self-awareness, you can better lead your team to success and achieve long-term project goals. Continue reading to learn about what self-awareness is, why it is important for project management, and how you can develop this skill and harness its potential for positive change in the workplace.
Self-awareness: what it is and why it is important
More than just a buzzword in the world of work, self-awareness involves knowing and seeing
yourself clearly so you can understand your capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Daydreaming in Paradise’s article on self-awareness also notes that it typically comes with the component of self-management, which enables you to better approach problems and solutions based on what you know about yourself.
The article also mentions that self-awareness means admitting mistakes and being accountable for your blind spots. In the context of project management, this can help you learn from past mistakes and adjust your leadership and management style for better outcomes. By discussing errors and flaws more openly, you are also encouraging other team members to evaluate their performance and identify potential areas of improvement.
Lastly, self-awareness can be especially crucial in project management aspects like risk
management. If you’re a self-aware leader and project manager, you’re likely to be equipped to handle high-pressure situations, such as tight deadlines and limited resources, and make informed decisions without letting negative emotions like panic and frustration get in the way. In light of these benefits, the following section offers a deeper look at cultivating self-awareness and utilizing it in the professional environment.
Developing self-awareness and harnessing its transformative potential
Cultivating self-awareness starts with introspection, or the act of examining your thoughts,
feelings, ideas, and behaviors. In addition to meditating and writing down your reflections in a journal, you can utilize professional introspective tools like the Johari Window. This framework uses a chart with four quadrants to signify what you openly share, your blind spots, things you’re aware of but keep hidden, and attributes you might not have yet but have the potential to develop.
Additionally, a Forbes article on executive self-awareness highlights the role of feedback in
helping you assess your impact more objectively. One of the most straightforward ways to gather feedback is to simply seek out trusted colleagues, team members, and monitors who are willing to provide constructive criticism. The article also suggests the use of 360 tools, which can cover different types of awareness feedback, including optics, behavioral impact, and learning and development.
As you cultivate self-awareness, you can recognize and process your emotions more intelligently, which is otherwise a crucial factor in project management success. Capterra’s survey of project management professionals found that nearly all (85%) project managers rely on self-awareness and emotional intelligence to navigate the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for productivity, communication, and collaboration.
Overall, self-awareness and emotional intelligence are aspects that you must continuously work on and improve to better manage projects and the people involved in every step. Continue reading Project Assistant’s blog posts for more insightful resources on leadership and project management.
Article written by Reanne Josette
Exclusively for https://www.project-assistant.com
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