The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” – Matthew 7:3 (NIV)

Self-awareness is a component of emotional intelligence. It is also one of the most important qualities of a leader. In my book A Leader Worth Imitating, I explain that you can’t effectively lead others if you don’t first learn to lead yourself. Jesus taught His disciples this principle with a vivid image: a person walking around with a wooden beam stuck in their eye while pointing out the dust in someone else’s. It’s a funny picture until you realize He’s talking about you and me. We all have blind spots in our leadership. That’s why self-awareness and feedback go hand-in-hand. When we give our teams permission to speak into our leadership, we start to see ourselves as we really are. Growing in self-awareness benefits both the leader and the team.

Application Question: What is one blind spot in your leadership you need to ask others to help you see more clearly?