I was delighted to join Carol Stewart on the Quietly Visible podcast. A great conversation and a great opportunity to spread the word about self aware leadership!
One of the Delphic maxims (engraved on the sacred temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece), and probably the most well know is “Know Thyself”. There are many interpretations, but you could say in a nutshell that it is about reflecting and developing a greater understanding/awareness of who you are, could be and/or who you ought to be, and in turn an awareness of others and your relationship towards them and they to you. Throughout her career, Dr Nia Thomas, has been interested in the working relationship: the dynamics between people and the impact both good and bad relationships have on individuals and their ability to effectively deliver their work. This led her to develop an interest in self-awareness, leader effectiveness and leadership at all levels which became the focus of her doctoral research. In this episode she discusses the experiences which led to her interest in self-awareness, leader effectiveness and leadership at all levels. She further talks about the 3 layers she sees as embodying self-awareness – reflection, recognition and regulation and touches on the difference between someone who just manages (the focus is on their technical skills) and others who manage but have self-awareness (whether it is inherent or one of the skills they have developed).