Maybe the question should be: Is your LACK of Self-Awareness showing? Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to work with a person who suffers from a tremendous deficit of self-awareness? I once worked for a fast-growing high-technology company that had revolutionized how companies could store data. One of our teammates had an almost absolute lack of self-awareness. He proved to be challenging for others to work with. He generated 8 out of 10 complaints that came in from the team, despite the team not complaining about much. This poor gent’s self-awareness was so low we had to resort to recording his conversations so he could perceive his tone of voice and body language signals correctly and realize the negative signals he was sending out to the universe. Amazing!

I’ve noticed that few things are more difficult to overcome than a terrible attitude or a lack of self-awareness. These problems are both devilishly difficult to resolve, and yet, I think solving a poor attitude is far easier than addressing a lack of awareness. A teammate who cannot see themselves as their colleagues perceive them cannot appreciate how they negatively impact others, and the results expected from a high-performing team. Frankly, developing a high level of self-awareness is difficult at best, even with tools like a behavior analysis assessment. Myopia when looking at oneself leads to a king-sized impediment to building constructive long term relationships, because a person without self-awareness just doesn’t react the way others expect, and that introduces uncertainty, reduces trust and creates friction where there doesn’t need to be any friction.

What can be done? Well, first, if the person with the low self-awareness is YOU, get yourself in touch with a good behavioral scientist and get a DISC behavioral analysis assessment and study the results and discuss it with a qualified advisor. If the person with the low self-awareness is a member of your team, you need to schedule a DISC assessment for your colleague and provide their teammates with one as well. Then schedule a team meeting to discuss behavior styles and how your team can constructively adjust their behaviors to make others more comfortable and successful and to foster teamwork. Remember, it’s always about the PEOPLE in business, and anything you can do to support your team in working together more effectively will be a step in the right direction. If you stop and think about it, you KNOW that the successes we enjoy in life almost always result from our ability to build trust and strong relationships with others. Great people skills are essential, and when we have no self-awareness, it becomes next to impossible to negotiate effectively with those we work with and support.

How about YOU, have you worked with a teammate or a colleague who was seriously challenged with a dearth of self-awareness? How did you handle it? How did it turn out for you and the rest of the team? Share your experiences with us in the comments section and earn yourself a free seat at our Business Network Book Club or another valuable tool from our archives. If you’d like more information about how to make your team stronger, check out the Michael Beach Coaching & Consulting YouTube channel and consider subscribing so you won’t miss a single video!

Michael is an award winning Business Advisor, serving small and medium-sized businesses and their leadership teams with help in culture architecture, team building, leadership development and general business counsel. Michael is also a frequent public speaker on topics from Character to Developing Winning Teams to How to Manage Your Sales Territory Next Year To Gain Double The Results. For more info, send an email to info@michaelbeachcoach.com.