“Know Thyself”
Greek aphorism inscribed on the front piece of the Temple of Delphi, often attributed to Socrates
It may be that we never truly know our “self”, or that that “self” can change. However, engaging in the continuous process of exploring who we are is how we develop self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the foundation for better decision-making, communication, relationship building and more effective leadership.
Tasha Eurich, author of the book Insight, found, with her team of researchers, that only about 10-15% of people are self-aware, despite most people believing otherwise.
They describe two types of self-awareness. Internal self-awareness includes such factors as values, goals, strengths, feelings, etc., while external self-awareness is based on our understanding of how others see us based on the above elements. Being high in one type of self-awareness did not automatically mean being self-aware in the other type.
Using a 2×2 table led them to develop four archetypes- Introspectors (high internal/low external), Aware (high internal, high external), Seekers (low internal, low external) and Pleasers (low internal, high external). Where do you think you fall?
In this book, Dr. Eurich offers strategies, techniques and pearls of wisdom developed through her research and work with countless individuals. It provides an invaluable and practical resource for developing this most fundamental of skills for both personal and professional leadership.