This book is a brilliantly enlightening read. I’ve long held a passion for the power of self-awareness and I love the way the author uses the book to lay out her research, all interspersed with insights and experience shared by the guests on her Knowing Self, Knowing Others podcast.

Her definition of self awareness is anchored in 3 key areas across knowing self and others – reflection, recognition and regulation.

I especially loved the exploration of introverts v extroverts, her definition of leadership – which can happen at all levels, and the re-naming of “soft skills” as “relational skills” – because they’re often the hardest skills to master!

The exploration of the 9 chartable compass points of self aware leadership also gave me a ton to think about on my own journey to greater levels of self awareness!

The book is written in the most wonderful way, laid out as a journey with lots of personal experiences shared by the author along the way. And I loved the summaries at the end of each chapter as a refresher!

Highly recommended – and check out the pod-cast too!

From Amazon

Quite enjoyed the mix of fun storytelling to intro the chapters and tie in with the “superhighway” theme and it adds a nice spin on the usually very structured books in the personal/professional development category.

Personally found lots of valuable information, some of which came in handy at the leadership training I took part in around the middle of the book.

Definitely have a few nice takeaways that I will be incorporating into my leadership and communication with my reports.

From Amazon

An enjoyable read travelling the self-awareness superhighway through an effective and entertaining use of the journey metaphor.

With a solid structure sectioned into exploring our why, the target destination and how best to chart that course the book offers a heap of great ideas and content boosted with contributions nicely weaved in from thought leaders across a range of domains. Many of whom have also been guests on NIa’s podcast series.

The three layer self-awareness definition of Reflection, Recognition and Regulation resonate and through the 9 chartable compass points one can undertake a human-centred voyage to their desired destination.

A recommended guide for any leader who is serious about improving their own self-awareness and playing their part in helping to humanize the workplace.

From Amazon

This book offers a broad collection of insights into self-awareness, linking a collection of personal perspectives from the podcast, different workplace examples and more widely established research to bring the conversation to life. We read it for our leadership book club this month, and it lent to a really great conversation. It was helpful to realise there is a supporting workbook too. I loved Dr Nia’s funny side statements about her examples and the mix of personal examples with broader academic and historical context.

From Amazon

I loved how cleverly the author explained her leadership philosophy with the analogy of a journey – and found the ideas within really interesting and accessible – I will definitely be putting some of them into practice

From Amazon

Dr. Nia D. Thomas’s ‘The Self-Awareness Super Highway’ is an invaluable resource for leaders at any stage of their journey. This insightful book seamlessly blends academic research with practical wisdom gleaned from podcast interviews, providing a comprehensive guide to self-awareness. I’ve found it so beneficial that I’ve already recommended it to several colleagues. A must-have addition to any leader’s library.

From Amazon

The Self-awareness Superhighway uses deep reflection, practical exercises, real-life case studies, and thought-provoking questions to help leaders become aware of their beliefs, values, and emotional triggers, making personal development practicable. It links self-awareness to broader leadership competencies, emphasising its importance in improving relationship management, decision-making, and organisational culture. In my view, this book is an invaluable tool for leaders committed to continuous learning and personal growth.

from Goodreads

TLDR: It’s a must-read for anyone pursuing a leadership role in their career.

What started as leisure reading quickly turned into an intense learning session, complete with heavy note-taking. In hindsight, I wish I had a copy of this book back in 2017 when I accepted a tech lead position.

## Structure

Dr. Nia takes you on a journey of effective leadership. Seriously, it’s like a real journey.

The book embodies the metaphor of a road trip, which is nicely reflected in its structure, being split into parts, chapters, and subchapters with seamless segues.

It starts with the big picture, providing a zoomed-out map of the entire journey. Each chapter begins with a zoomed-in map of the segment ahead and ends by reviewing what we discussed along the way. At the end of each part, we get a summary of the segments we’ve completed and a glimpse of what to expect next.

The book concludes by providing closure on our guided trip with Dr. Nia, reviewing everything we have been through together over the last 228 pages.

## Contents

The book follows the golden circle rule. It starts with why you should be a self-aware leader, then moves to how to be a self-aware leader, and finally, what to do to become a self-aware leader.

In the first part, the “why,” Dr. Nia discusses what self-awareness means, what it takes to be an effective leader, and, most importantly, why it matters. She sets the common ground for the rest of the book.

In the second part, the “how,” we look at the nine behaviors that self-aware leaders display, their responsibilities, and the most common challenges they must overcome and be physically and mentally prepared for.

In the third and last part, the “what,” Dr. Nia shares a list of tools, practices, and techniques one can use on their self-awareness leadership journey. One such tool is the self-awareness compass quiz, aimed at helping you identify areas of your leadership behavior to improve (https://www.ksko.co.uk/quiz/).

## Personal Notes

I was pleased to recognize the things I, and the company I’m working for, are doing well. The book also highlighted areas for improvement to become more effective as a tech lead and as a father.

Being published in 2024, the book addresses leadership challenges related to recent events in the private and public sectors, such as the crisis caused by COVID-19. This made it relatable, as I could reflect on the challenges I and the company I work for have faced in the last four years.

Besides sharing the findings of her research, Dr. Nia includes insights from the leaders she interviewed in “The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast.”

from Goodreads

I really like the easy reading style and how you are introduced to the three layer self-awareness definition of Reflection, Recognition and Regulation resonate and through the 9 chartable compass points one can undertake a human-centred voyage to their desired destination. A good mix of personal examples with broader academic and historical context. I invite you to explore your Self-Awareness Super Highway.

From Amazon