Hello KSKOers and welcome to new subscribers!
I first discovered Steve on Facebook, where he has a huge following of people who love his work. I started reading, watching and listening and I too, found what Steve had to say really insightful, clear and actionable. So, I got in touch and we had a chat. Here are my top takeaways from our discussion on The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast.
The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership: Steve’s emphasis on the significance of self-awareness in leadership highlights the need for leaders to have a really deep understanding of themselves and the impact they have on others. This means being conscious of their own emotions, behaviours and communication style as tools to build respectful and creative working relationships. By focusing on self-awareness, leaders can create a culture that values authenticity and emotional intelligence.
Reflective Question: How can you enhance your self-awareness as a leader to build stronger and more authentic relationships within your team or organisation?
Authenticity in Leadership: Authenticity emerged as a recurring theme in our discussion , underscoring the importance of leaders staying true to their core values and genuine selves. Through embracing authenticity, leaders can foster an environment where others feel encouraged enough to be their true selves and contribute meaningfully. When leaders model this kind of behaviour, it can generate trust, engagement, and effectiveness within a team.
Reflective Question: In what ways can you demonstrate more authenticity in your leadership role to inspire trust and openness among the members of your team?
Audacious Leadership: Steve introduces the concept of audacious leadership, which challenges traditional leadership paradigms. He described it as a model of leadership influenced by the evolving work environment driven by generational shifts and skill shortages, and of course Covid. Adapting to this change requires leaders to be bold, innovative and open to exploring new approaches to leadership, i.e. being audacious!
Reflective Question: How can you embrace audacious leadership to drive positive change and innovation within your team or organisation?
The Ripple Effects of Leadership: Steve highlights the ripple effects of leadership, demonstrating how positive leadership choices and behaviours can have a profound impact not only within the workplace but also in other aspects of life. Sadly, so do bad positive leadership choices. Our conversation touched on the far-reaching influence leaders have on their people and thus the responsibility to make meaningful and positive choices.
Reflective Question: How can you ensure that your leadership choices are contributing to positive ripple effects within your team, organisation, and beyond?
The Value of Coaching and Self-Reflection: Our discussion emphasised the value of coaching in promoting self-awareness, personal growth, and leadership development. Steve’s shared a real-life example of one of his clients, who made personal changes and experienced huge professional growth through coaching. It demonstrates the transformative potential of coaching in unlocking people’s potential. You can read more about coaching in my book, The Self-Awareness Superhighway, when it’s released in April ‘24!
Reflective Question: How can you leverage coaching and self-reflection to enhance your leadership skills and support the growth and development of your team members?
Every reflection question encourages you to stop, pause and apply Steve’s insights to your own life, to dig in to your authentic self, flex your self-awareness muscle and become an audacious leader.
You can buy Steve’s book here…
Do share any thoughts, ideas and reflection you have here on substack or LinkedIn.
Looking forward to having you on my learning journey!
