I was recently joined by the fabulous Dr Ketan Kulkarni for the 25th episode of The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast and here are my Top Takeaways from our conversation……
According to Ketan, who’s a physician and multifaceted professional, individuals should not be defined solely by their profession or role. Embracing various interests and pursuing different roles can lead to personal growth and fulfilment.
Our discussion highlights the prevalence of burnout among physicians and professionals in various fields. Lack of self-awareness and job dissatisfaction contribute to emotional exhaustion and disengagement, meaning that the greater self-awareness we cultivate, the better we know our strengths, weaknesses and the boundaries we need to put in place to keep us safe and healthy.
Ketan emphasizes that self-awareness is a crucial component of successful leadership and collaboration. Leaders who lack self-awareness struggle to bring out the best in their team members.
Efficient meetings make for effective decision-making. Clear ground rules and concise presentations are essential for productive meetings. Ketan emphasises the importance of creating a positive and focused environment for decision-making and problem-solving.
Ketan suggests teaching self-awareness in schools to foster personal growth and help individuals understand their values and goals. By making self-awareness accessible to all, we can create a culture that values personal development.
There needs to be a shift in organisational culture that values self-awareness and effective leadership over merely focusing on performance metrics. Transparent feedback, continuous assessments, and promoting self-awareness can drive this cultural change.
Leadership is not bound by titles or positions but is a state of mind driven by self-awareness and a sense of purpose. Leaders can be found in every level of an organization. It’s easy to measure the number of people that attended a conference or the number of widgets produced by. factory, but it’s difficult to measure intangible qualities like trust and self-awareness – although staff turnover may be one way!!
Ketan and collaborator Dr. Francis Yoo have written a book, ‘The Legendary Quest’ that aims to unlock the amazing potential within individuals. By focusing on inner excellence and accessing the resources already present in us, we can create fulfilling lives and make meaningful contributions. Buy it here