Hello. In this lesson, I will share more information about self-awareness, a critical characteristic of inclusive leadership. Recall that self-awareness refers to conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires. Let's begin by looking more closely at why you should cultivate self-awareness. Organizational psychologists, Tasha Eurich conducts research on internal self-awareness and external self-awareness. In her research, she has concluded that internal self-awareness is positively associated with higher job satisfaction, personal and social control, and happiness. She has also observed that self-awareness is associated with lowered anxiety, stress, and depression. In her research, she finds in terms of external self-awareness, people who know how others see them are more skilled at showing empathy and taking others perspectives. Individuals with such skills for self-awareness also are more likely to have strong relationships with others. These effects of self-awareness will be especially important during times of stress or conflict. As I explained in another video, this was useful for me when I face challenges related it to a personal decision. I realized that I had negative feelings about being accused of using my authority to influence the hiring process. However, I didn't let those feelings affect my behaviors. Instead, I tried to remain calm and rational. I worked to understand and respect others viewpoints. Increasing empathy and perspective taking through self-awareness, can help to improve inclusion in the workplace. Consider this example. When my colleague told me she was a lesbian, she described ways that our department was reinforcing heterosexuality. For example, the department's curriculum did not include education about sexual orientation, even though that knowledge existed within communication studies. Our department did not offer professional development about sexual orientation for faculty and staff, although it was available at the university. I later learned that what she described to me is known as heteronormativity. Heteronormativity is defined as a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation. To address this issue, as a supervisor of graduate students who taught a course on organizational communication, I added readings to that course about sexual orientation in the workplace. I also invited my colleague who had come out to me as lesbian to participate at a National Communication Conference on a panel on Identity and higher education. From that panel, she wrote and published an article entitled, quote, "The Price of Passing" unquote, which details how she concealed her sexual orientation through communication behaviors. For example, she dodged discussions about her private life, and she denied being in a relationship. As I mentioned previously, these types of behaviors are known as covering. That article has been used in communication courses across the United States. One of those classes as taught by a professor who was a former graduate student in our program. Being self-aware as a leader can help you identify areas to improve, which can have positive consequences. After I learned that unconscious bias, also called implicit bias, can impact inclusion, I decided to learn more about it. I took a few of the Harvard University Implicit Association Tests. These online tests measure the strength of associations between concepts. For example, black people or gay people. Any evaluations, for example, good or bad, or stereotypes, athletic or clumsy. Instructions for taking the IAT are listed in optional assignments for this lesson. According to those tests, I have a moderate preference for heterosexuals instead of other sexual identities. For men more than women, and for white people, more than black people. Some people are surprised at the last two because I'm a woman and I'm black. However it is not uncommon for members of non-dominant groups to have unconscious biases against their own groups. Those tests, along with examples from research, prompted me to become more aware of how these unconscious biases might be affecting my behavior. They also helped me to learn and apply techniques to manage my biases. These techniques include, asking for feedback, being mindful, and learning about behaviors related to bias. Now that I have shared some benefits of self-awareness, let's look at how to cultivate it. Please, note that just looking inward does not make a person more self aware. It is important to be intentional and to actively work on seeing yourself more clearly. Being self-aware is an ongoing process that requires commitment, time, persistence, vulnerability, and humility. No matter how much progress you make, there will always be more to learn about yourself. Sometimes you will discover information that you won't like. That was certainly true for me when I found out about my implicit biases against certain groups. However, I realized that those thoughts do not reflect my values. I use that information to help me grow and to become more self aware. Here are four ways to cultivate self-awareness: Number one, self-awareness begins with being mindful. Mindfulness is defined as focusing one's awareness on the present moment while being mindful, try to understand how your experiences can influence your thinking and actions. As my example about being heterosexual illustrates, members of non-dominant groups may not be aware of negative experiences of members of non-dominant groups. You can gain insight about yourself through various methods. These include the implicit association test that I discussed earlier. I will share other methods in the spotlight on privilege and when we explore signature traits of inclusive leadership. Number two, educate yourself through informal and formal methods. For example, consider drawing upon a growing body of information about mindfulness. I listened to a few podcasts on that topic that had been quite useful, and I've listed some of them in the optional assignments for this lesson. Also participate in workshops on bias, which can help you identify which of your behaviors you might monitor. Early in my teaching career, I attended a session on gender bias in the classroom at the University's Center for Faculty Development. After learning that teachers often unconsciously treat female and male students differently, my first reaction was disbelief that I would do that. However, I opened my mind and when I observed myself, I was dismayed to discover that I was guilty of many of the behaviors that the research describes. For example, I would call on males more often than females, I would give males more positive feedback. Now, I conscientiously tried to pay attention to gender in all contexts. That's why I was open to the feedback that I paid more attention to males than females during a staff meeting. I'm still working on my gender bias. I'm also learning about gender identity as a spectrum rather than as two distinct categories, male and female. This is an example of the importance of continuing to learn and grow. Third thing to do to increase your self-awareness is to solicit feedback. Research shows that effective leaders seek frequent feedback from a variety of persons including bosses, peers, and employees. Although my organization did not have a formal policy for employees to evaluate their supervisors, I established an anonymous feedback process for persons who reported to me. I used a 360 degree assessment approach, which is described in some of the optional readings for this lesson. Their feedback helped me to identify areas for me to improve, as well as point out my areas of strengths. In addition I developed a method for co-workers in the offices I supervise, to anonymously evaluate one another. I shared that feedback with them during annual performance reviews to assist them with developing performance plans. The fourth and final way to cultivate self-awareness, is to conduct formal assessments of your personality and style. Personality tests are popular in many organizations. Perhaps you've taken some of these. They include Myers-Briggs, DiSC assessment and StrengthsFinder. Do not view the results as accurate though, nor believe that the findings reflect a permanent characteristic. Rather use the results to guide your growth. In conclusion, self-awareness is imperative to cultivating inclusive leadership. It can help you to develop and maintain an inclusive organizational culture where everyone feels valued and respected. Being self-aware will help you gain the benefits of inclusive leadership, which we will explore next.
